Israeli Settlers Blaze Mosques, Vandalise Cars and Farmland in West Bank
Israeli settlers are alleged to have set fire to two mosques, as well as cars and farmland in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials claim, amid rising tensions in the area.
The latest violence comes just two days after a clash between settlers and Palestinians near the village of Tal, which left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead.
Both sides accused the other of provoking the violence.
The confrontation has inflamed the West Bank, which has witnessed increasing violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians, encouraged by far‑right elements of the current Israeli government.
Palestinian reports say that two villages in the occupied West Bank were attacked by settlers overnight, with cars vandalised, property stolen and hate graffiti spray‑painted on walls.
The mayor of Qusra said that settlers set fire to a mosque under construction.
Abdul Azim Wadi said that settlers spray‑painted graffiti that included the word “revenge” on the mosque walls.
The Israeli military says troops were sent to Qusra and that police will investigate and collect evidence.
Palestinian officials say that in a separate incident settlers set fire to another mosque in the village of Kour and sprayed slogans on its walls.
Since the deadly clash on Friday in Tal, Palestinians say that multiple settler attacks have struck villages across the West Bank.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has carried out raids and arrested dozens of Palestinians in a “counter‑terrorism” operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the Tal incident by vowing to take “powerful action”, possibly demolishing the homes of two Palestinians allegedly involved.
Settler attacks in the West Bank have surged in recent months, drawing international condemnation but showing little reversal.
The situation had deteriorated before the Hamas‑led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, and has since escalated during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The UN reports 1,114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, the vast majority by the IDF, with at least 35 deaths involving settler attacks.
It also reports 41 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.
Israel has built hundreds of settlements housing 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them. The settlements are illegal under international law.
