Who Shows Up? Hormuz Tanker Mines, West Bank Attack, Thailand Floods | Sun 18 Oct 2026

The mayor's name is Bernard Bauducs.

He runs Hanoi Imaries, a small town in northern France.

On Saturday, he was in Tehbi, a mostly Christian Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank.

He was not there for politics.

He was there to sign a twinning agreement between his town and the village.

His town's emblem is an olive.

So after the signing, he joined the villagers for the olive harvest.

He was traveling with diplomats, Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats, a priest from his home parish, a car from three European embassies.

Then, in his own words, three vehicles arrived.

Several masked men got out, carrying metal bars.

An activist at the scene filmed young masked men knocking on a driver's window, demanding identification.

Others advanced with sticks.

The activist said the men threatened to kill them.

Badox told a French news agency he suffered only minor injuries.

And he said, one thing I want you to keep.

It's the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me.

Here is how things are, and here is how they are different from how they appear.

On paper, that delegation was about as protected as a civilian can be.

Diplomatic cars, consular staff, an elected official wearing the colors of his country.

Under international law, an occupying power must protect civilians in the territory it holds.

In practice, Israel's military said the visit had not been coordinated with it and no soldiers were at the scene.

It called the attack a severe act of violence.

Israeli police opened an investigation.

His foreign minister, Gideon Saa, condemned what he called Israeli rioters.

That condemnation is rare.

The mayor's name is Bernard Bauducs.

He runs Hanoi Imaries, a small town in northern France.

On Saturday, he was in Tehbi, a mostly Christian Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank.

He was not there for politics.

He was there to sign a twinning agreement between his town and the village.

His town's emblem is an olive.

So after the signing, he joined the villagers for the olive harvest.

He was traveling with diplomats, Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats, a priest from his home parish, a car from three European embassies.

Then, in his own words, three vehicles arrived.

Several masked men got out, carrying metal bars.

An activist at the scene filmed young masked men knocking on a driver's window, demanding identification.

Others advanced with sticks.

The activist said the men threatened to kill them.

Badox told a French news agency he suffered only minor injuries.

And he said, one thing I want you to keep.

It's the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me.

Here is how things are, and here is how they are different from how they appear.

On paper, that delegation was about as protected as a civilian can be.

Diplomatic cars, consular staff, an elected official wearing the colors of his country.

Under international law, an occupying power must protect civilians in the territory it holds.

In practice, Israel's military said the visit had not been coordinated with it and no soldiers were at the scene.

It called the attack a severe act of violence.

Israeli police opened an investigation.

His foreign minister, Gideon Saa, condemned what he called Israeli rioters.

That condemnation is rare.