Netanyahu disputes reports of attacks on diplomats in the West Bank

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - Today, Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement regarding reports of European diplomats being attacked by settlers in the West Bank. He said that “any violent act against diplomats is unacceptable,” but stressed that “the more serious the accusation, the greater the need for convincing evidence to prove it.”

Netanyahu's office claimed that the delegation entered a sensitive area that had witnessed confrontations in the past, without prior coordination with the Israeli army, according to what he said was officially confirmed by the army.

He added that coordination is necessary to ensure the safety of diplomats and prevent acts of violence.

The statement indicated that the delegation included Bernard Boudeau, a mayor who belongs to the French Communist Party, and said that he had previously raised the Palestinian flag on the municipal building, which prompted the French authorities to issue an order to remove it.

Video clips circulated showed masked people confronting a diplomatic vehicle, while separate photos showed a smashed window and a person lying on the ground.

Netanyahu's office said that these photos alone are not enough to determine the full sequence of events or personal responsibility for the attack.

He also warned of a "coordinated campaign to distort the image of Israel and the Jewish population in the West Bank" during the olive harvest season, calling on the public and journalists to demand verifiable evidence and not turn unproven accusations into a mass accusation.

On the other hand, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar condemned the acts of "violence" that he said were committed by Israeli "rioters" near the village of Taybeh in the Ramallah area.

He stated that a police investigation had been opened, and that forensic investigators were working at the scene, adding that his ministry was communicating with the ambassadors of the relevant countries to help identify the attackers and bring them to justice.

But he criticized the visit's failure to coordinate in advance with the military, saying coordination "could have helped keep visitors safe."

The Our People for Israel movement also issued a statement condemning the violence of “a handful of extremists,” saying they do not represent “the people of the West Bank” and that their actions harm the settlements and Israel.

For his part, the head of the Benjamin Council and the head of the Yesha Council, Israel Gantz, said that groups he described as instigators and saboteurs are causing chaos under the pretext of the harvest season, and that Israelis who practice violence “serve their goals and harm the people, the settlement, and the state.”