EU envoys visit Kfar Malik after deadly settler violence kills 3 Palestinians

A delegation of European diplomats visited the West Bank town of Kafr Malik on Monday to inspect damage caused by a recent settler attack that left three Palestinians dead and seven others wounded.

The visit came days after dozens of armed Israeli settlers stormed the town, northeast of Ramallah, setting fire to Palestinian vehicles and clashing with residents who attempted to repel them.

The Palestinian health ministry said three Palestinians were killed and seven others injured in the attack, which took place last Wednesday. The Israeli army later intervened in the clashes.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the settlers entered Kafr Malik from nearby outposts and opened fire, while residents from surrounding villages rushed to help defend the town.

Leila Ghanem, Governor of Ramallah and al-Bireh, said the delegation included around 20 European ambassadors and representatives, along with the ambassadors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The envoys toured burned vehicles, damaged homes, and met with the families of those killed in the attack.

In a statement posted to social media, Ghanem said she had briefed the delegation on "the aftermath of the crime committed by settlers and occupation forces in Kafr Malik".

She described the attack as part of "a systematic Israeli policy adopted by the extremist government", accusing Israeli leaders of providing full cover for settler violence aimed at displacing Palestinians.

She called on the European Union to go beyond reporting and adopt "real political steps", warning that international inaction had emboldened both the settlers and Israeli authorities.

Alexander Stutzmann, the EU's representative to the State of Palestine, said the delegation had come to show solidarity with Palestinians and to express alarm over recent settler violence.

"We all followed with deep concern what happened in Kafr Malik. What we witnessed was shocking, painful, and unacceptable," he said.

"People should not be killed in their homes, nor should their property be vandalised, their cars burned, or be forced to live in fear and terror in their villages," he added. "Such crimes cannot be allowed to go unpunished or without accountability."

Stutzmann said the level of settler violence had become unacceptable and reiterated the EU's position that settlements constitute a violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace.

According to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, settlers carried out over 400 attacks on Palestinians and their property in May alone, including armed assaults, land destruction, and forced closures.

Palestinian officials say the Israeli army and settlers have escalated attacks across the West Bank in parallel with the war in Gaza, with at least 986 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since October 2023.