A police investigation is underway after European diplomats said they were assaulted by Israeli settlers while visiting the occupied
on Saturday, authorities said.
asserted
authorities → say → occupied
Meanwhile, the prime minister's office urged caution before "drawing conclusions," and the reports come "amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel.
asserted
reports → urge → Israel
"Israeli police said they launched the investigation following footage circulating online, which appears to show several diplomats being attacked near the village of Taybeh.
asserted
diplomats → say → Taybeh
The statement said efforts were underway to locate the victims and identify the suspects "with the aim of bringing them to justice.
asserted
efforts → say → justice
"
"The Israel Police condemns violence of any kind and will pursue these investigations to their full extent, ensuring that everyone involved in such incidents is brought to justice," the statement said.
asserted
statement → condemn → justice
Israel's military condemned the "severe act of violence" during which diplomatic representatives were "attacked by Israeli rioters."
asserted
representatives → condemn → rioters
It said the diplomats' visit had not been coordinated with them and that no soldiers were at the scene.
asserted
soldiers → say → scene
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the diplomats included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland.
asserted
diplomats → report → France
Netanyahu alleges reports come amid concerns of a smear campaign against Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office condemned the reports of the attacks on the diplomats and urged caution against drawing conclusions, as it tried to cast doubt over the circumstances surrounding the attack.
"Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable," a statement said Saturday.
asserted
statement → allege → diplomats
The prime minister's office said the diplomatic delegation "entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations" without prior coordination with the Israeli military.
asserted
delegation → say → military
It said such coordination is "essential to protecting visiting diplomats and preventing violence."
asserted
coordination → say → violence
In the statement, the prime minister's office said the footage circulating online shows masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle.
asserted
individuals → say → vehicle
He said images alone do not establish the "complete sequence of events or individual responsibility."
asserted
images → say → events
"These reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before the full facts emerge," the prime minister's office said.
asserted
office → come → headlines
"We may see further allegations in the coming days.
uncertain
We → see → days
By the time the evidence is fully examined, the reputational damage from premature conclusions may already be done."
uncertain
damage → examine → conclusions
Diplomats detail attack, call on Israel to protect Palestinians
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot claimed on social media that Israeli settlers targeted Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives.
asserted
settlers → detail → general
CBS News has reached out to Belgium's consul general in Jerusalem and to Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
asserted
News → reach → Affairs
"A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged.
asserted
vehicle → assault → ?
Our team is safe," Prevot wrote on X.
He linked the attack to what he called Israel's "illegal settlement policy" and called on Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians as the "occupying power.
asserted
he → write → power
"Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack," he said.
asserted
he → harvest → attack
Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, told the Agence France-Presse that he was attacked during a goodwill visit to Taybeh.
asserted
he → tell → Taybeh
"The whole world needs to know what's happening there," he said.
asserted
he → need → ?
"For me, I'll go back to my country and everything will be fine.
asserted
everything → go → country
Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here."
asserted
who → continue → ?
Baudoux said he did not suffer serious injuries.
asserted
he → say → injuries
He said the attackers kicked him and beat him with iron bars, and threw him to the ground.
asserted
attackers → say → ground
"It's the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me," he said.
asserted
he → stun → me
"They arrived completely enraged."
asserted
They → arrive → ?
Netanyahu's office, in its statement, said Baudoux previously raised the Palestinian flag over the Aulnoye-Aymeries municipal building, "prompting French authorities to order its removal."
asserted
Baudoux → say → removal
Poland's foreign ministry confirmed the incident on social media, saying in a statement that its representatives were unharmed and that based on information currently available, "there is no indication that they were specifically targeted."
They added: "According to preliminary information, Israeli settlers may have been responsible for the incident.
uncertain
settlers → confirm → incident
"We are deeply outraged by this incident and condemn it in the strongest possible terms," the statement on X said.
asserted
statement → outrage → X
"Poland has consistently opposed violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
asserted
Poland → oppose → Bank
"We remain in close contact with our partners to establish the full circumstances of the incident," the statement said.
asserted
statement → remain → incident
CBS News has reached out to Poland's foreign ministry for comment.
asserted
News → reach → comment
Settler violence has surged in West Bank
Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has surged in recent years, particularly after the establishment of Israel's current hard-right government in late 2022, according to statistics released by the United Nations humanitarian office.
Activists say authorities do little to stop it, particularly during this year's annual olive harvest.
uncertain
authorities → surge → harvest
Netanyahu, in the past, has condemned the violence and vowed a crackdown against what he says is a small group of several hundred wayward youths responsible for attacks on Palestinians.
asserted
he → condemn → Palestinians
Human rights groups and critics say the government is complicit in the attacks and that Netanyahu's condemnation appears to be posturing since the Israeli military often intervenes on
and the perpetrators are rarely prosecuted.
asserted
perpetrators → say → attacks
attack follows a similar incident on Friday during which
including a freelance American photojournalist working with The Washington Post.
asserted
attack → follow → Post
On Saturday, Heidi Levine, the veteran American journalist injured in the attack, was undergoing surgery on her finger, which was nearly detached from her hand, her daughter told the Associated Press.
asserted
daughter → injure → Press
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
