DW says settlers beat French mayor during West Bank visit

DW reported that a group of Israeli settlers attacked vehicles carrying European diplomats in the West Bank. A witness and two diplomats separately told AFP that the settlers beat Bernard Baudoux, the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France.

The Straits Times and Internazionale headlines attribute a claim that settlers attacked Palestinians and Western diplomats to Belgium; The Washington Post headline also says settlers attacked Palestinians and a Washington Post photographer in the West Bank. Baudoux told AFP he suffered minor injuries and said he was concerned about residents in the area.

DW reported that he described being kicked and struck with iron bars before being thrown to the ground. He also said the violence’s nature had stunned him. Those details are Baudoux’s account, as relayed by DW; the report says a witness and two diplomats told AFP that settlers beat him.

Baudoux said he was visiting Taybeh with the French consul general in Jerusalem and a priest from his home parish. The group’s stated purpose was to sign a goodwill cooperation agreement with his city. DW reported that Baudoux said the agreement was between Taybeh and Aulnoye-Aymeries.

The visit brought the mayor and the French diplomatic representative to Taybeh, where the reported attack involved vehicles carrying European diplomats. DW’s account identifies the settlers as the attackers, while the two diplomats and a witness cited by AFP specifically corroborated that Baudoux was beaten.

The report does not identify the diplomats or describe injuries to them. The headlines add distinct claims about the incident: The Straits Times and Internazionale attribute the report of attacks on Palestinians and Western diplomats to Belgium.

The Washington Post names its photographer among those attacked, while the Central Western Daily describes settlers targeting Palestinians across the West Bank. These headlines do not provide further details about the incidents they mention. Baudoux told AFP that he was fine after sustaining minor injuries, while expressing concern for residents in the area.

The report gives no further account of those residents’ circumstances or of what happened after the visit. Its documented details center on the reported attack on the diplomatic vehicles, the beating of Baudoux and the planned cooperation agreement between the two cities.