Benjamin Netanyahu addresses accusations by European diplomats about attack in West Bank

By TOBIAS HOLCMAN OCTOBER 17, 2026 20:11 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the incident in the West Bank, where a group of European diplomats claimed to have been attacked by Jewish settler extremists on Saturday, saying that "serious accusations require serious evidence." "We urge caution before drawing conclusions from today's reports that European diplomats were attacked by masked Israelis in Judea and Samaria .

Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable. The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The statement by Netanyahu also claimed that the reports come amid a "coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before the full facts emerge." "We may see further allegations in the coming days.

By the time the evidence is fully examined, the reputational damage from premature conclusions may already be done," the statement continued, adding that the PMO has "called on the public and responsible journalists to demand verifiable evidence, reject hearsay, and refuse to turn unproven allegations into a collective indictment of the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria." Masked men reportedly attacked European diplomats in the West Bank.

Eisenkot calls incident part of 'Jewish terrorism' Former IDF chief of staff and head of the Yashar party Gadi Eisenkot said on Saturday that the settler extremist s who attacked a group of diplomats are "Jewish terrorists" and blamed the government for the violence wave in the West Bank.

"What is happening in the West Bank is Jewish terror under the auspices of the government," Eisenkot said in an X/Twitter post. "Once again, within a single day, groups of violent lawbreakers attack foreign citizens -- and this time, diplomats and official officeholders." "A handful of criminals is burning up the last shreds of legitimacy left to the State of Israel, endangering security forces, and harming the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria and national security," Eisenkot added.

"No one in the leadership will be able to claim that they weren't woken up in time and that they weren't warned." Foreign Ministry condemns incident, Belgium demands sanctions against settlers Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also addressed the incident, saying that he "strongly condemned the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters in the area of Taybeh" and that the ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the affected countries.

"Without detracting from the severity of the incident, it is unfortunate that the visit was not coordinated with the IDF in advance. Such coordination could have helped safeguard the visitors’ security," he added. The Belgian Foreign Affairs minister, Maxime Prevot, condemned the attack and added that the Belgian government will continue to push for sanctions against "those responsible for this violence and those who support them." "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," he said, adding that the attacks "cannot be separated from Israel’s illegal settlement policy." According to the IDF, the security forces didn't manage to arrive at the scene because no soldiers were present at the site during the attack. "The report was sent to the brigade operations room, which is designated to receive reports from security personnel only, and not from civilians," the military argued.

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