Netanyahu said the images alone do not establish the full sequence of events or individual responsibility.
By Shula Rosen
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for caution over reports that European diplomats were attacked by masked Israelis in Judea and Samaria, saying the circumstances remain under investigation and that serious accusations require compelling evidence.
In a post on X, Netanyahu said the diplomatic delegation entered an area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination with the IDF, which the military officially confirmed.
He said such coordination is important for protecting visiting diplomats and preventing violence.
The delegation included Bernard Baudoux, a French Communist Party mayor who previously raised the Palestinian flag over his municipal building, prompting French authorities to order its removal.
Netanyahu said published footage shows masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle, while separate images show a smashed window and a person lying on the ground.
He said those images alone do not establish the full sequence of events or individual responsibility.
Israeli police and forensic investigators have opened an investigation to determine what happened and identify those responsible.
In a separate post on X, Netanyahu addressed a confrontation near Abu Falah in which Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was allegedly assaulted, saying the facts surrounding the incident “remain unclear and are under investigation.”
“Israel unequivocally condemns violence against anyone—Jews, Arabs, Christians or journalists. Those responsible will be held accountable,” he wrote.
Netanyahu said reports indicated that about 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths. Footage showed masked people on both sides throwing objects, he said, while reports indicated fireworks were fired at Jewish youths.
Other footage appeared to show Levine being knocked down and then immediately helped to her feet by the same unidentified person, according to the post.
“The investigation must establish the facts, including who initiated the violence,” Netanyahu wrote.
He also warned against drawing broader conclusions about Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria from disputed incidents, saying allegations surrounding the diplomats were emerging amid what he described as a coordinated campaign during the annual olive harvest.
“We will not allow disputed incidents to be exploited to demonize the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu wrote. “The facts must determine the conclusions. Not the headlines.”
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