Settlers Beat a Washington Post Photographer, Then Attacked European Diplomats a Day Later. Netanyahu’s Office Urged “Caution.”
Two attacks in 24 hours on people the world pays attention to, and the Israeli response so far is a request to wait for the facts
By Mike Dean,
By Daily Rumble | October 17, 2026
Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats near the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and beat a 78-year-old French mayor, according to Al Jazeera, France 24 and the Times of Israel. It came one day after settlers beat Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photographer, while she covered the olive harvest near Abu Falah. Video of the diplomat attack exists. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to the attacks by saying, “We urge caution before drawing conclusions,” France 24 reported.
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Step back and look at the sequence. On Friday, a photographer wearing a helmet and a press vest is kicked on the ground. On Saturday, seven masked settlers arrive on ATVs where diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland are touring and demand identification documents, according to Army Radio as cited by the Times of Israel. Earlier this month, settlers fractured several ribs of an AFP photographer, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, according to France 24. Each time, the people hit are the ones with cameras, passports and governments behind them.
So the question is not whether this happened. There is footage. The question is what it means when Palestinian farmers have absorbed this violence for weeks with few cameras on them, and the government’s first instinct, now that the victims are European and American, is to ask everyone to slow down.
Two days, two sets of witnesses
Levine was attacked Friday while photographing Palestinians harvesting olives. She said the attackers “were kicking me for like 10 minutes,” according to the Times of Israel. Her daughter, Ashley Milner, told the paper that Levine’s left-hand finger was cut to the bone and that she had a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae. Levine had surgery Saturday at Rabin Medical Center, which listed her in moderate condition. Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray said: “we are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job.”
On Saturday, the targets were official. The convoy included Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives, according to Al Jazeera. The French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, said masked settlers kicked him and hit him with iron bars, France 24 reported. He did not need hospital care. His read of the moment was blunt: “there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government.”
Jean-Noel Barrot of France called the attack “appalling” in a post on X and said: “They must urgently halt this criminal violence.” Maxime Prevot of Belgium said: “This violence cannot be separated from Israel’s illegal settlement policy,” and Belgium says it will push for EU sanctions against the violent settlers and their supporters, according to Arab News.
The statements that don’t line up
Israel’s response came in pieces, and the pieces disagree. The Israeli military said it “strongly condemns the severe act of violence that took place in the area of Taybeh.” In the next breath it said: “The consulate’s visit was not coordinated with the IDF.” A preliminary probe found no troops at the scene, the Times of Israel reported, and the army said its operations room “responds only to authorized personnel, not civilians,” after a civilian traveling with the diplomats tried to report the attack by phone.
Read that again. Diplomats were attacked, and part of the army’s account is that their visit was not coordinated.
Israel Police said they opened an investigation upon receiving the footage. Gideon Sa’ar posted: “I strongly condemn the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters in the area of Taybeh,” as shown in Al Jazeera’s report. Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main rival in the October 27 election, went further and called the attacks “Jewish terrorism, under the auspices of the Israeli government,” per France 24.
Netanyahu, according to France 24, alleged a “smear” campaign against Israeli settlers. On the Levine case, ABC News reported that he said the facts “remain unclear and are under investigation,” and added: “Those responsible will be held accountable. But serious questions remain.” Serious questions about what, exactly? A journalist was beaten on video.
What’s actually happening beneath the surface
Neither attack is an outlier. A UN count cited by Arab News puts settler attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters this season above 200, already more than the whole 2025 harvest. They have killed one Palestinian, injured more than 120 and damaged over 2,500 olive trees and saplings. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, cited 300 documented attacks since the start of October and said settlers are publicly advertising attack campaigns on social media.
On Saturday alone, according to Al Jazeera, settlers injured six people in the village of Ma’in, including four women and a child, per the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Near Kafr Malek, settlers killed about 20 sheep, according to the local mayor, Najeh Rustum. In the al-Hariq area, Odeh reported, settlers under army protection fired live ammunition at farmers.
Here is the pattern worth noticing. Palestinian farmers have been reporting this violence for weeks. A Washington Post photographer and a French mayor got a statement, a probe and a plea for caution within a day. The violence is the same. The audience changed.
Even the American response is hedged. In ABC’s account, a State Department spokesman said: “We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank.”
What to watch
Watch for arrests, not statements. Police say they opened an investigation after receiving the footage, and there is video of the diplomat attack. If no one is charged within days, that tells you more than any condemnation did. Watch Brussels, where Belgium says it will push for EU sanctions on violent settlers. Watch the election on October 27, because Netanyahu’s main rival has already condemned the attacks in the harshest terms.
A government that wants to be believed on settler violence does not need the victims to be European before it investigates. Palestinian farmers have been telling this story for weeks. The only new thing is that Europeans are now among the people it is happening to.
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Sources:
Al Jazeera — Israeli settlers attack European diplomats during West Bank olive harvest — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/17/several-palestinians-injured-detained-in-ongoing-west-bank-pogrom
Times of Israel — European diplomats attacked amid settler raids on West Bank olive harvest — https://www.timesofisrael.com/european-diplomats-attacked-amid-settler-raids-on-west-bank-olive-harvest
France 24 — Israeli settlers attack European delegation convoy in West Bank, beat French mayor — https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20261017-israeli-settlers-attack-european-delegation-convoy-in-west-bank-beat-french-mayor
Arab News — Israeli settlers attack European diplomats in West Bank amid surge in olive harvest violence — https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/israeli-settlers-attack-european-diplomats-in-west-bank-amid-surge-in-olive-harvest-violence-3006865
ABC News — Washington Post journalist attacked in the West Bank, police investigating — https://abcnews.com/International/police-open-investigation-attack-washington-post-journalist-west/story?id=137320053