Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office fired back Saturday night at reports that European diplomats were attacked by Jews in Israel’s Benjamin region, calling the allegations part of a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the olive harvest season.
“Serious accusations require serious evidence,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement posted to its English-language Twitter account. “We urge caution before drawing conclusions.”
The statement comes after reports that diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland were attacked by Jews near Taybe during the olive harvest—claims that have already sparked international backlash and reports that Belgium is pushing for European sanctions against Israel.
“Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable,” the office said. “The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence.”
But the Prime Minister’s Office raised serious questions about the visit itself. The diplomatic delegation entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination with the IDF, the office said—a fact officially confirmed by the military. Such coordination is essential to protecting visiting diplomats and preventing violence, the statement noted.
The office also flagged the identity of one participant: Bernard Baudoux, a French Communist Party mayor who previously raised the Palestinian flag over his municipal building, prompting French authorities to order its removal.
**”The Footage Doesn’t Establish the Sequence of Events”**
The Prime Minister’s Office addressed the videos and images circulating after the incident. Published footage shows masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle, while separate images show a smashed window and a person lying on the ground.
But those images alone don’t prove what happened or who’s responsible, the office said. “These images alone do not establish the complete sequence of events or individual responsibility. Those circumstances remain under investigation.”
Israeli police and forensic investigators have launched an investigation to establish the facts and identify those responsible. But the reports have already generated international headlines and turned into a lever for political pressure against Israel—before the full details of the incident have been clarified.
**A Blood Libel Turned Into Leverage Against Israel**
The Prime Minister’s Office warned of a coordinated campaign against Israel and Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria against the backdrop of the olive harvest season. The concern is that unproven allegations will quickly turn into international headlines, lead to demands for punishment, and inflict political and reputational damage on Israel before the facts are fully examined.
“We may see further allegations in the coming days,” the statement said. “By the time the evidence is fully examined, the reputational damage from premature conclusions may already be done.”
The office 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.
