Several residents of the West Bank town of Kiryat Arba verbally attacked a group of European diplomats and Israeli left-wing activists from the Break the Silence group touring the area Wednesday morning.
The scuffle began when a community security chief noticed an eight-car caravan approaching the town bordering on Hebron and called together other members of the town's security detail to prevent the group from reaching the municipality building.
Dozens of residents then gathered at the municipality, hurling insults at the group.
No provocation
Avichai Sharon, one of the Israeli members of the group, told Ynet the residents rioted in order to pressure diplomats, but said the group did not provoke the reaction in any way.
"We have no special shirts, no signs, we didn't shout slogans, and the diplomats didn't dare get out of the car," he said.
Police called to negotiate
As events developed, police were called to the scene to negotiate between the sides.
Residents demanded the visitors be ejected from the town, but police allowed the visit to proceed.
Later, however, the diplomats also clashed with officers, claiming the police did not provide adequate security for the group.
Following the incident, the diplomats said they planned to file a formal complaint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
IDF and police spokesmen said there was no physical violence during the visit.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
First published: 11:12, 08.31.5