The Incident
It’s giving a major escalation in the West Bank. A delegation of European diplomats, French clergy, and Bernard Baudoux, the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, were recently targeted by masked militants. The group, including the Archbishop of Cambrai, Vincent Dollmann, had been helping Palestinians harvest olives in the town of Taybeh when they were forced to retreat.
The Guardian was on the scene and captured the moments leading up to the clash. Footage shows the militants rushing the group, shouting “France, France,” and pushing Mayor Baudoux to the ground while he was wearing his sash of office. The assault continued as the diplomats tried to flee in their vehicles; attackers smashed a reinforced window on their SUV with such force that it could have caused serious injury had it struck closer to the passengers.
The Fallout
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has lowkey tried to gaslight the situation. Instead of condemning the violence or promising arrests, the Prime Minister’s team released a statement claiming the evidence was insufficient and suggesting a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel.” They even questioned the integrity of high-ranking diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland, as well as Catholic clergy, who witnessed the attack.
This follows a similar pattern regarding the recent hospitalization of American photojournalist Heidi Levine after a separate settler attack. The PM’s office similarly dismissed that as an “alleged assault.”
Why it matters
The vibes are off in a major way. We are seeing the highest levels of the Israeli government actively choosing to protect extremists rather than uphold the law, even when European allies are the ones being targeted. The international tension is real, and the response on the ground has been historic: over a dozen top former Israeli diplomats held an unprecedented protest outside their own foreign ministry this Sunday, carrying signs that explicitly called for an end to “Jewish terrorism.” The plot thickens as the state’s refusal to hold anyone accountable seems to be emboldening these militants further.
