Belgium calls for European sanctions to be imposed on settlers after the attack on diplomats

Brussels - Ofoq News - Belgium called for European Union sanctions to be imposed on settlers involved in violence, after masked settlers attacked Palestinians and European diplomats in the village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, and smashed the windows of a vehicle belonging to the Belgian consulate.

Video clips circulated showed about seven masked settlers attacking Palestinian olive pickers, in the presence of French diplomats, including the French Consul General in Jerusalem, in addition to Belgian and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives.

Reports indicated that settlers smashed the windows of a vehicle belonging to the Belgian consulate.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said he strongly condemned the attack by masked settlers in Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, which targeted Palestinians, the Belgian Consul General, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives.

He added that a French mayor was attacked, while a Belgian vehicle was damaged, stressing that the Belgian crew members were not harmed.

Prevo pointed out that Palestinians face this violence daily, and that settlers also target journalists who document attacks and diplomats, stressing that picking olives, covering events, or performing diplomatic duties should not expose anyone to attack.

He added that the Israeli authorities, as an occupying force, must protect the Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and hold those responsible for attacks accountable, calling for an end to impunity for settlers who practice violence.

He stressed that Belgium will continue to press for the imposition of European sanctions on those responsible for these attacks and their supporters, considering that the violence is linked to the illegal Israeli settlement policy and attempts to uproot Palestinians from their lands, and calling for an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar condemned the attack, and said that the police had opened an investigation, and that investigators had arrived at the site to collect evidence.

He added that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is communicating with the ambassadors of the countries concerned to help law enforcement authorities identify the attackers and bring them to justice.

Despite his condemnation of the attack, Sa'ar expressed his regret for not coordinating the visit in advance with the Israeli army, considering that coordination could have helped maintain the safety of visitors.

In turn, the Israeli army spokesman said that the diplomatic tour was not coordinated with the army, stressing the condemnation of the attack that occurred in the vicinity of the village of Taybeh, within the Binyamin Brigade area.

He added that police and forensic investigators will arrive in the area under the protection of army forces, to collect evidence and evidence and listen to statements as part of the open investigation.

The army explained, according to a preliminary investigation, that there were no forces at the site at the time of the attack, and that the report was sent to the account of the brigade’s operations room, which is designated for receiving reports from members of the security services, and not from citizens.

He pointed out that the operations room receives dozens of operational reports daily, and provides responses to authorized authorities only, stressing that the incident, in all its details, will be subject to examination.

For its part, the Israeli police announced that the “Benjamin Station” of the West Bank region had opened an investigation into the attack, after a video clip was circulated documenting the attack on a number of diplomats who were in the vicinity of the village of Taybeh.

The police said that it had forwarded a report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the aim of identifying the victims, collecting their testimonies, and revealing the identity of the suspects in preparation for holding them accountable, stressing that it condemns the violence and will continue the investigation until everyone proven involved is brought to justice.

The attack comes after Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levin was injured while covering the olive harvest on Friday.

Beilinson Hospital reported that her condition was moderate, and that she was injured in her limbs and underwent surgery.

These attacks coincided with other violent incidents witnessed in various areas of the West Bank during the past days, against the backdrop of the olive harvest season.

Palestinians reported that settlers tried to prevent farmers from reaching their lands and harvesting their crops, while some sites witnessed attacks on farmers and damage to vehicles.

In the village of Abu Falah, Palestinian reports indicated that, on Saturday morning, Israeli occupation forces and border guards forced olive pickers and activists to leave a plot of land where Levine was attacked the previous day, using stun grenades and tear gas.

Reports stated that the farmers moved about 200 meters away from the site, before continuing to harvest olives without hindrance.

Palestinian citizens also reported attacks on farmers in the village of Deir Jarir near Ramallah, which included live shooting at Palestinians in the olive groves, in addition to sabotaging olive pickers’ vehicles, by storming them and cutting off the hand brakes, causing them to roll and collide.

In southern Hebron, Palestinian reports spoke of the theft of between 180 and 200 heads of sheep, while a Palestinian was injured by shrapnel resulting from live gunfire, without knowing who fired the fire.

Palestinian citizens accused the occupation forces and police of allowing thefts to occur by firing gas and closing the entrances to residents' homes to prevent them from confronting them.

These events come in light of the escalation of attacks during the olive harvest season, despite the occupation army’s announcement that it will work to protect Palestinian farmers.

Reports indicated that Israeli far-right activists are trying to prevent farmers from reaching their lands, amid fears of a decline in the army's ability to impose order in the West Bank.