This is 78-year-old Bernard Bordeaux, mayor of a northern French town. He was part of a European delegation visiting the occupied West Bank. The video shot by activists showed mass Israeli settlers throwing rocks at the convoy. Settlers carrying clubs surrounded and threatened people in the cars. The mayor later told reporters he was kicked and beaten with iron bars. I had on my mayor's sash, with blue, white and red colors, which clearly represents the symbol of France, in an attempt to protect the people around me. Well, that was not enough. I was attacked, violently attacked, protected by the people who were there trying to limit things. I was thrown to the ground. The Israeli Prime Minister's office released a statement referring to the attack as, quote, alleged. Part of the statement reads, These reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. That's what the Israeli government calls the West Bank. During the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before the full facts emerge. We call on the public and responsible journalists to demand verifiable evidence, reject hearsay, and refuse to turn unproven allegations into a collective indictment of the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. The latest violence comes a day after settlers assaulted a Washington Post photojournalist. Heidi Levine was rescued by colleagues after the attack. She recounted her ordeal while recovering from hand surgery, broken ribs, and other injuries. I'm getting a lot of attention because of an American photojournalist on contract for the Washington Post. But I am meeting and documenting people all the time who have been beaten and often killed from this violence. Israeli police say they are investigating the incidents. According to Israeli human rights group Yeshdin, around 94% of investigations into settler violence since 2005 have ended with no one being charged.