Belgian diplomat: ‘West Bank attack is a new escalation’

Their presence served a specific purpose: what is known in diplomatic circles as a protective presence.

“That means we go with the Palestinians to their olive groves and help with the harvest,” explains Anick Van Calster, the Belgian consul-general in Jerusalem, who was part of the delegation. “We hope that violent settlers will be deterred by our diplomatic presence.”

However, the atmosphere quickly turned. “It was a very violent morning,” Van Calster told VRT. “We’d already heard that the settlers were committing acts of violence elsewhere, but when we heard they were heading our way, we decided to get into the cars. We are diplomats and we do not seek confrontation.”

Before everyone had got safely into the vehicles, a group of attackers appeared. They were young, masked men armed with wooden and metal sticks.

“You could only see their eyes,” says Van Calster. “That didn’t bode well.”

The first vehicle, in which Van Calster was travelling, managed to drive off quickly. The second attempted to pick up members of the French delegation, including Bernard Baudoux, the mayor of the northern municipality of Aulnoye-Aymeries. It was unable to leave before the attackers reached them.

“Mayor Baudoux was physically attacked and thrown to the ground before he could even get in,” Van Calster says. “When the car finally managed to escape, the settlers pelted it with rocks, shattering the rear window.”

Once back in the village, the diplomats found a group of Israeli activists in a state of deep shock. “They had also been attacked by the settlers, who had told them: ‘We’re going to kill you’,” says Van Calster.

She stresses that this direct attack on diplomats crosses a dangerous line. “Attacking diplomats is a new escalation,” she says. “Since the start of the olive harvest, there have already been more incidents than there were throughout the whole of last year’s season. The violence has truly reached new heights.”

Many Palestinian farmers no longer dare to go on their own land for fear of their lives, creating economic hardship for many families.

An investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz reveals that the army ignored repeated warnings about the impending attack. Urgent calls for help were received at around 13.00, including the exact location and video footage of “at least seven masked settlers, armed with clubs”.

An activist sent the reports to a military helpline, but soldiers ignored the unknown number and did not pass on the information. It was not until around 15.00 that the information reached the army, by which time settlers had already smashed a window of a vehicle belonging to the Belgian delegation.

The army has launched an investigation. It says the helpline was not intended for civilians and that the visit should have been coordinated in advance. According to Van Calster, the latter is not true.

Under the Oslo Accords, diplomats are not required to coordinate their visits in advance, she says. According to reports, the authorities had been aware of their presence and of the threat in the area for hours.