Key facts
- French mayor Bernard Baudoux was attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
- Netanyahu's office questioned the veracity of the attack and called for verifiable evidence.
- The incident occurred during an olive harvest with Palestinian residents.
- Former Israeli diplomats protested settler violence, calling it 'Jewish Terrorism'.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned the account of an attack on a delegation of European diplomats, French clerics, and a visiting mayor in the occupied West Bank, stating that "serious accusations require serious evidence." The prime minister's office cast doubt on the integrity of the witnesses and warned against "unproven allegations." The incident occurred after the delegation participated in an olive harvest with Palestinians in the town of Taybeh. Footage filmed by The Guardian shows masked militants threatening diplomats and activists with sticks before assaulting French mayor Bernard Baudoux. His car's window was smashed as the delegation attempted to leave. A day earlier, American journalist Heidi Levine was hospitalized after a similar attack by Israeli militants blocking an olive harvest in another village. In response to the events, over a dozen former Israeli diplomats gathered outside the foreign ministry to protest settler violence.