Netanyahu urges against rushing to conclusions over attack on diplomats — Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged against rushing to conclusions over reports of a possible attack on a group of European diplomats in the West Bank. The diplomats said they were attacked on Saturday by masked extremist Jewish settlers.
As The Jerusalem Post reports, the prime minister’s office stressed that violence against diplomats is unacceptable, but serious accusations require convincing evidence. It called for caution regarding reports of the involvement of masked Israelis in the incident.
Statement by the prime minister’s office
Netanyahu’s office said that reports of the incident had emerged, in its view, amid a coordinated campaign to discredit Israel and Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest. It also suggested that new accusations could emerge in the coming days and that reputational damage from premature conclusions could be done before the evidence is fully examined.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Officials’ reactions
Former Israel Defense Forces chief of the General Staff and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot called the alleged attackers “Jewish terrorists” and held the government responsible for the wave of violence in the West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned violence by Israeli rioters in the Taybeh area and said his ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries concerned by the incident. He added that the diplomats’ visit had not been coordinated in advance with the Israel Defense Forces.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said that his country would continue to seek sanctions against those responsible for the violence and those who support them. The Israel Defense Forces said that troops did not arrive at the scene because there were no soldiers there, and that the report was received by a brigade operations room designated for inquiries from security service personnel, not civilians.
