Updated

Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats, a French mayor, Catholic representatives and Palestinian olive harvesters in the West Bank village of Taybeh on October 17, 2026, a day after settlers beat Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine near Yasouf. Masked assailants armed with clubs and iron bars beat French mayor Bernard Baudoux, damaged a Belgian diplomatic vehicle, and reportedly killed about 20 sheep; Levine underwent surgery for a nearly detached finger, a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae. Haaretz reported that the Israeli military sat on distress calls for nearly two hours before responding, and further settler attacks, shootings and arson were reported in Deir Jarir, Safa and elsewhere. The attacks drew international condemnation: France, Belgium and the EU demanded arrests, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was 'very disturbed' and urged Israel to crack down, and President Isaac Herzog apologized to Levine, as did former Israeli security chiefs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead alleged a coordinated 'smear campaign' against settlers and said there was no 'compelling evidence,' prompting Levine to call the remark 'the biggest insult'; Belgium said it would push for EU sanctions on those involved, and US lawmakers and editorials in Israeli media demanded accountability and investigation of the military's delayed response.