The attack came a day after masked settlers assaulted Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, a US citizen covering the olive harvest, leaving her hospitalised, highlighting the growing dangers facing Palestinians and those documenting violence under Israeli occupation.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Belgium’s consul general to the Palestinians, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives were among those targeted in Saturday’s attack, adding that a Belgian vehicle was also damaged.

Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, told Reuters he had been harvesting olives near the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in solidarity with the local community when masked settlers attacked him.

“I was thrown to the ground,” Baudoux said.

The incident underscores mounting concerns over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied territory, where attacks have increased over the past three years and have also targeted journalists, activists and foreign observers.

“As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice. Impunity for violent settlers must end,” Prevot said in a statement posted on X.

He condemned the targeting of people carrying out civilian and diplomatic activities, stressing that harvesting olives, reporting the news and performing diplomatic duties should never expose anyone to violence.

“Palestinians face this violence every day. Settlers also target journalists reporting on it and diplomats. Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” Prevot said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the assault, describing it as a small example of the “daily terrorism” Palestinians endure under Israeli occupation.

In a separate response, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewior said a convoy carrying diplomats, including Polish officials, had been attacked, confirming that the Polish diplomats were unharmed.

“Attacks on members of the diplomatic corps are absolutely unacceptable,” Wewior said.

Belgium, which has announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, will push for European Union sanctions against those responsible for the violence and those supporting them, Prevot said.

The attacks come amid escalating violence by Israeli settlers and occupation forces across the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians face attacks, displacement and continued settlement expansion, often with limited accountability. The United Nations has called for international action to protect Palestinian communities, while the International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful. The International Criminal Court is also pursuing legal proceedings concerning the situation in Palestine, adding to mounting international scrutiny of alleged crimes against Palestinians. Despite repeated international calls for accountability, prosecutions of settlers accused of violent crimes against Palestinians remain rare.