A mob of enraged Palestinian students attacked the cars of European envoys attending a meeting at the Palestinian National Museum. Among them was Czech diplomat Jakub Šlosárek, head of the Liaison Office of the Czech Republic in Ramallah. Some vehicles were vandalized by the mob, throwing stones at them. There are videos of the escape of some ambassadors on social networks. The crowd mainly attacked the ambassadors of those countries that have supported Israel since the beginning of the current conflict, for example the German ambassador Oliver Owcz. The latter said shortly after the attack on the X social network that non-violent protests have their place and that he regrets that the meeting of diplomats was interrupted by protests. For example, France24 or the Jerusalem Post informs.
The meeting of the European envoys was held at the Palestine National Museum, which is located a short distance from the city of Ramallah and next to Birzeit University. “The student movement refused to allow these guests to visit the museum because of their stances on the genocide in Gaza. That’s why we asked them to leave,” student representative Omar Kayed told AFP.
Museum representatives also condemned the event. They said they had not received any guest list and that if they had known that representatives of non-Gaza states would be attending the event, they would not have rented the room. Belgian diplomats who rented the premises are not counted among such states. “The Belgians have stood behind the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause since the beginning of the aggression against our people in Gaza,” the museum said.
Footage circulating on social media shows a mob chasing the diplomats away from the site, with some footage showing stones being thrown and diplomatic vehicles being destroyed. According to AFP, demonstrators chanted things like “Get out!”
“At the meeting in the museum were representatives of most EU countries that have representation in the Palestinian Authority, including the head of the Liaison Office of the Czech Republic in Ramallah, Jakub Šlosárek,” Czech Ambassador to Israel Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová told Echo24.
The German ambassador, who was expelled from the place, has already commented on the situation. Peaceful protest and dialogue always have their place. We regret that today’s meeting of EU Heads of Mission at the National Museum in Birzeit was interrupted by protesters. However, we remain determined to work constructively with our Palestinian partners,” Ambassador Oliver Owcza said on the X social network. The Italian representative Domenico Bellato was also supposed to be expelled from the place.
The European representation in the Palestinian territories expressed itself similarly. “We regret to note that this morning’s meeting of the heads of EU missions was aggressively disrupted by a group of university students. The EU and its Member States remain fully committed to dialogue and cooperation with the Palestinian people,” the EU representation said on the X social network.
Germany has supported Israel’s right to self-defense since the beginning of the current conflict in Israel, which began with the massacre of 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists on October 7 last year. Over 30,000 Palestinians have died during the conflict, according to Hamas-controlled authorities. Hamas is still holding captive over 100 people it kidnapped on October 7. According to estimates by the Israeli army, many of the hostages are already dead. The army has said in recent days that it is ready to launch an operation in Rafah, which is the last major city in the Gaza Strip under Hamas control.
Tags: VIDEO European envoy attacked Ramallah Czech diplomat among
