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Masked Settlers Attack European Diplomats in West Bank
· Confirmed
In Short: Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the West Bank, injuring several and damaging a vehicle, according to reports from Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom).
Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the West Bank, injuring several and damaging a vehicle, according to reports from Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom).
Al Jazeera reported that the attack occurred near the village of Taybeh, where diplomats were visiting to support Palestinian olive farmers. Meanwhile, the BBC stated that the incident took place on Monday, July 7, 2025, and that Israeli police have arrested 10 suspects in connection with the attack.
Both outlets noted that the attack took place in the occupied West Bank, an area that has seen a rise in settler violence against Palestinians. Al Jazeera cited a diplomat who said the Israeli government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Turmus Aya, said that the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, met with Palestinian American residents who described the impact of settler violence on their lives and properties. Huckabee called the settler violence an 'act of terror,' a statement echoed by the BBC.
The BBC reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern over the attack, calling it 'disturbing' and 'not a good look.' Rubio also noted that the circumstances remain under investigation, with Israeli police and forensic investigators working to establish the facts and identify those responsible.
Al Jazeera and the BBC both reported that the attack occurred near the village of Taybeh, where the historic Church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), dating back to the 5th century, was targeted. Father Daoud Khoury of the Greek Orthodox Church, Father Jacques-Noble Abed of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and Father Bashar Fawadleh of the Roman Catholic Church, stated that settlers deliberately set fire near the town’s cemetery and the historic church.
Al Jazeera and the BBC agreed that the attack on European diplomats was a significant incident that highlights the ongoing tensions in the West Bank. Both outlets noted that the violence has escalated, with reports of settlers entering villages at night, burning homes and cars, and shooting at Palestinians.
Al Jazeera reported that some 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths, while the BBC noted that the attack near Taybeh involved masked settlers who injured several diplomats and damaged a vehicle.
Despite the differing details, both Al Jazeera and the BBC agreed that the attack on European diplomats in the West Bank was a serious incident that underscores the broader issue of settler violence against Palestinians.
The attack on European diplomats in the West Bank, which injured several and damaged a vehicle, highlights the ongoing tensions and violence in the region, with both Al Jazeera and the BBC reporting on the incident and its broader implications.
Background
Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the West Bank, injuring several and damaging a vehicle.
The West Bank is the larger of the two Palestinian territories that make up Palestine. A landlocked territory located on the western bank of the Jordan River near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia's Levant region, it is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east, and by Israel to the south, west, and north.
What's confirmed
- Sunday, October 18, 2026 · 4:09 PM ET Updated 4:08 PM ET · 4:25 AM ET Confirmed In Short: Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the West Bank, injuring several and damaging a vehicle.
What's still developing
- “They’re not being held accountable for their actions – endangering Palestinians is a fun activity for them,” Alqam said of the settlers, describing the violence committed as “not a minority” among Israelis.
- Huckabee has labelled some of the settlers committing violence as “terrorists”, which is a “clear message”, Pinkas said, particularly coming from an evangelical Christian who “believes in the Jewish rights over the West Bank”.
- Nonetheless, the Trump administration “doesn’t seem to care enough” about settler pogroms or the rights of Palestinians for it to “actually pressure the Israeli government”, Pinkas said.
- “They want the US ambassador to relay the message that this is systematic violence being practised against Palestinians, that it’s continuing and that they need actual change,” Ibrahim said, noting that settlers in the area “wrote slogans not just against Palestinians, but also against him [Huckabee]”.
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- “If there are squatters that come in and put up their own flags and take possession of something that does not belong to them, if they burn a car, if they torch a mosque, if they go into someone’s home and vandalise it, paint graffiti on the walls, that’s a criminal act. But it extends beyond a criminal act. It’s an act of terror,” Huckabee said during his visit to the village of Turmus Ayya, which has reported frequent attacks by settlers over the past year.
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- At a time when a growing number of artists are speaking out against the conflict in Gaza and West Bank settler violence, the 35-year-old British performer has maintained his apolitical stance.
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