DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris denounces the aggression against its nationals and demands that Israel arrest the perpetrators, making the supposed tolerance of the Israeli government towards settlers the real issue.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
On Saturday, October 17, settlers attacked a convoy from the French, Belgian, and Polish missions in Taybeh; Bernard Baudoux, 78, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was hit without being hospitalized.
- 02
Jean-Noël Barrot called on Israel to "imperatively stop the perpetrators" and to "bring them to justice".
- 03
Gideon Saar condemned the violence while criticizing the consulates for lacking coordination with the army, as Benjamin Netanyahu's office denounces a campaign of "defamation".
ANALYSIS
Paris, October 17, 2026. Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats on Saturday, October 17, in Taybeh, a predominantly Christian village in the occupied West Bank, beating Bernard Baudoux, 78, the communist mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries (Nord). Cars from the French, Belgian, and Polish missions had brought the delegation, including the French consul general in Jerusalem, when the settlers launched a raid to prevent Palestinian farmers from harvesting olives, according to witnesses cited by AFP.
Images seen by AFP show the elected official, wearing a tricolor sash, slumped against a car. He did not require hospitalization and was able to continue his visit, which was intended to sign a cooperation agreement between the two localities. According to RFI, the settlers, masked and armed with clubs, also smashed the window of a Belgian diplomatic car.
The mayor draws a political lesson: "I think that if the settlers act like this, there is tolerance from the Israeli government." He adds: "As for me, I will return to my country, everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here."
The reaction from Paris is firm. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on the Israeli authorities to "imperatively stop the perpetrators" and to "bring them to justice," judging these acts "revolting" and demanding that these criminal violent acts cease "with utmost urgency." Belgium, through the voice of Maxime Prévot, condemned the attack by masked settlers "with the greatest firmness."
On the Israeli side, the responses diverge. Gideon Saar firmly condemned acts that he attributes to "Israeli rioters," while also reproaching the consulates for not having coordinated the visit with the army. The army condemned the attack and the police opened an investigation. The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, however, denounces a campaign of "defamation" against the settlers. The HuffPost recalls that this same office, after the aggression of the American photographer from the Washington Post on Friday, had said that those responsible should "be held accountable," without accusing the settlers.
The French press places this episode in a series: an AFP photographer beaten up the previous week, a Washington Post photographer seriously injured on Friday, in a context of intensification of violence against the Palestinian olive harvest.
SOURCES (4)
- HuffPost FranceMEDIUM
- BFMTVMEDIUM
