Netanyahu’s office: Wait for the facts before drawing conclusions on attack on diplomats

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening urged caution before drawing conclusions from today’s reported attacks on European diplomats by masked Israelis in Samaria, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said.

“Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable. The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence,” the PMO said.

Netanyahu’s office listed a number of facts that have been clarified thus far.

• The diplomatic delegation that visited the area of the Palestinian town of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, did not coordinate its trip with the Israel Defense Forces, an essential element in protecting visitors “in a sensitive area.”
• The visit included Bernard Baudoux, a French Communist Party mayor who previously raised the Palestinian flag over his municipal building, prompting French authorities to order its removal, according to the PMO.
• In addition, published footage of masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle “do not establish the complete sequence of events or individual responsibility. Those circumstances remain under investigation,” it continued.

The statement added that the Israel Police and forensic investigators have opened a probe into the incident to identify those responsible.

“These reports come amid concerns about 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,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“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. We call 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.”

Separately, the IDF condemned on Saturday the “the severe act of violence,” adding that the envoys were attacked by “Israeli rioters.”

The military noted that Israeli soldiers are accompanying police officers and investigators in the area that have begun to collect evidence and testimony.

It further echoed the PMO’s statement, saying that the delegation’s visit was not coordinated with the IDF, which is important to prevent such incidents.

“According to a preliminary inquiry, no IDF soldiers were present at the scene at the time of the attack,” said the IDF, adding that all circumstances surrounding the incident will be examined.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also denounced the “Israeli rioters.”

He stated on X that his ministry is in contact with the ambassadors of the countries concerned to assist the law enforcement authorities, “who are working to identify the attackers and bring them to justice.”

Israel’s top diplomat also expressed regret that the visit was not coordinated with the IDF.

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot reacted to the incident on Saturday evening, condemning in the “strongest terms the attack by masked settlers in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, against Palestinians, our Consul General, French and Polish diplomats as well as catholic [sic] representatives.”

He said that a French mayor was also assaulted and a Belgian vehicle was damaged.

Prévot claimed that Palestinians face this violence “every day,” with Israeli “settlers” targeting journalists reporting on it and diplomats.

He accompanied his statement on X with a Palestinian flag.

Herzog condemns photojournalist attackers

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke over the phone on Saturday with Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, 63, who was attacked by violent rioters in the Binyamin region of Samaria the previous day.

As a result of the assault, she was hospitalized and had undergone surgery in her hand at Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikvah.

“As President of the State of Israel, I strongly condemn this outrageous and shocking violence, both the terrible attack you endured and other grave incidents of violence, such as what took place today in Taybeh,” Herzog recounted the conversation in a statement, referring to the incident involving the European delegation.

“This weighed heavily on my conscience throughout Shabbat, and I express my deep sorrow and apologize for what you went through. The despicable behavior of the perpetrators of this attack does not represent the citizens or the values of the State of Israel,” he added, calling on law enforcement personnel to apprehend the “lawbreakers” and “bring them to justice.”

He then said, “We all embrace you and your family, and on behalf of the entire nation, I wish you good health and a speedy recovery.”

On Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office cast doubt on the claim that Levine was “attacked by Israeli settlers,” as the American newspaper’s executive editor stated, saying there are “serious questions” about whether Israelis or Palestinians were responsible for the attack.

Levine is a photojournalist who has spent three decades covering Israel and the Middle East.

The IDF confirmed that “a female journalist was injured” during a confrontation near Khirbet Abu Falah, a Palestinian village located some 16 miles north of Ramallah.

“Upon arriving to the scene, the forces acted to disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means,” the military stated. “At another location where the confrontation took place, IDF soldiers initially fired warning shots into the air and then fired toward a suspect who ran toward them, carrying a sharp object and posed a threat to them.”

The army added, “The confrontation was dispersed.”

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, “Reports indicate some 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths. Footage shows masked individuals on both sides hurling objects, amid reports of fireworks fired at Jewish youths.”

In addition, “other footage appears to show Levine knocked down and immediately helped to her feet by the same unidentified individual,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. “We will not allow disputed incidents to be exploited to demonize the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.”

Police’s resources deployed to locate the perpetrators

Also on Saturday, the Israel Police Judea and Samaria District commander, Chief Superintendent Moshe Pinchi, held a situational assessment with the district’s command staff and other security officials regarding both incidents that took place over the weekend, the police said in a statement.

The Judea and Samaria District Central Unit has been tasked with inquiring into yesterday’s assault on Levine and today’s assault on European diplomats, the statement read.

“Police investigators from across the district are working around the clock and have carried out extensive and varied investigative measures. In addition, the investigative teams have been reinforced, and all of the Israel Police’s resources and capabilities are being deployed to locate the extremist rioters,” the police stated.