French Foreign Minister: Israel must stop the criminal violence of settlers

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Saturday that the Israeli authorities must "urgently" arrest those responsible for the attack carried out by Israeli settlers that targeted a convoy of European diplomats visiting the West Bank and "bring them to justice."

Barrow described the attack, during which a French mayor was severely beaten, as "horrific," stressing in a post on the X platform that the Israeli authorities must "urgently put an end to this criminal violence and ensure the security of civilians, in accordance with their obligations stipulated in international law."

Barrow pointed out that “Bernard Boudeau (78 years old), the mayor of Aulnois-Imery in northern France, was violently attacked by extremist settlers in the West Bank,” and said, “We are in contact with him.”

Eyewitnesses said that cars belonging to the French, Belgian and Polish missions were transporting diplomats to visit the town of Taybeh in the West Bank, when settlers launched an attack to prevent the Palestinians from picking olives.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar condemned the attack by "Israeli rioters" and also criticized the relevant European consulates for their failure to coordinate the visit with the Israeli army.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later denounced what it considered a "smear" campaign targeting Israel and its settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu, whose government supports settlement activity in the West Bank, is running in parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27.