A French mayor who says he was kicked and beaten by illegal Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank has accused Israel’s right-wing government of tolerating settler violence.
Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, told AFP that the attack took place on Saturday during a goodwill visit to the Palestinian town of Taybeh, where he had planned to sign a cooperation agreement.
“I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government,” Baudoux said.
“The whole world needs to know what’s happening there. For me, I’ll go back to my country and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here,” he added.
Baudoux, a left-wing politician, was accompanied by the French consul general in Jerusalem and a priest from his home parish.
The visit aimed to establish closer ties between his town, which has an olive emblem, and Taybeh, a predominantly Christian Palestinian community.
Mayor describes attack by men carrying iron bars
Baudoux said two or three cars suddenly arrived and men emerged, shouting insults about France that he could not understand.
Wearing a sash in the colours of the French flag, he said he was kicked and struck with iron bars before being knocked to the ground.
“It’s the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me,” he told AFP. “They arrived completely enraged.”
The mayor said his parish priest helped him to his feet before they fled by car. He did not suffer serious injuries and was able to continue his visit to Taybeh.
Baudoux expressed doubt that those responsible would face consequences, despite Israeli promises of a swift investigation.
France vows not to be intimidated by violence
The attack came as French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the use of violence to advance political agendas.
In a post on X on Saturday, Lecornu said France would not be intimidated by violence following protests over rising living costs and declining public services, held months ahead of a presidential election.
“To those who clearly want to use this violence as a ‘warm-up’ before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence,” he wrote.
Baudoux’s account has drawn attention to concerns over the safety of Palestinians and international visitors in the occupied West Bank, where the olive harvest is under way and Palestinian communities have reported increased attacks by illegal Israeli settlers.
