French Mayor Attacked in West Bank

A French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, was attacked by masked militants in the occupied West Bank while harvesting olives with a delegation of European diplomats. The incident occurred near Taybeh, prompting a protest with the Israeli government.

What happened

• Following a morning of olive harvesting with Palestinians in the Palestinian town of Taybeh, a delegation including French Mayor Bernard Baudoux and European diplomats were attacked by masked militants.
• Footage filmed by the Guardian shows the militants speeding up a hill to approach the group.
• The militants, shouting ‘France, France,’ pushed Baudoux to the ground and attacked the car carrying him and Archbishop Vincent Dollmann.
• The attack occurred as the group was preparing to leave, after being warned of a prior attack on Palestinians harvesting olives nearby.
• The incident resulted in a smashed window of the diplomatic car.
• Israeli authorities described the attack as an ‘alleged assault’ and a ‘disputed incident’ while the Prime Minister’s office expressed ‘concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel.’

Original reporting

• Guardian: Guardian reporter filmed masked militants seconds before West Bank attack on French mayor
  2026-10-18T00:00:00+00:00
• Al Jazeera: French mayor attacked by settlers during occupied West Bank olive harvest
  2026-10-18T00:00:00+00:00