Israeli settlers burn mosques, cars and farmland in West Bank, Palestinians say

Israeli settlers torched two mosques in the occupied West Bank, as well as cars and farmland, Palestinian officials said, as tensions continued in the territory.

The latest attack comes two days after clashes between settlers and Palestinians near the village of Tal left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead.

Both sides accused the other of inciting the violence.

The conflict further inflames the situation in the West Bank as extremist settler violence against Palestinians, fueled by far-right elements of the current Israeli government, continues to escalate.

According to Palestinian reports, two villages in the occupied West Bank were attacked by settlers overnight – cars were destroyed, property looted and hate graffiti painted on walls.

The mayor of Qusra said that the settlers had set fire to the mosque under construction.

According to Abdul Azim Wadi, the settlers sprayed graffiti on the walls of the mosque with the word “revenge”.

The Israeli army said it had sent soldiers to Qusra and the police would investigate and collect evidence.

Separately, Palestinian officials said settlers had set fire to another mosque in the village of Kur and spray-painted slogans on its walls.

Since Friday’s deadly clashes in Tal, Palestinians say there have been several settlement attacks on villages across the West Bank.

The Israel Defense Forces have arrested dozens of Palestinians in raids in what it calls an “anti-terrorism” operation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the incident and vowed to take “strong action”.

This included demolishing the homes of two Palestinians who were allegedly involved.

Settler attacks in the West Bank have increased sharply in recent months.

It has received international condemnation, but shows little or no sign of changing.

The situation worsened before the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel led by Hamas.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has intensified settler violence in the West Bank.

The United Nations says 1,114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, most of them by the IDF. He says at least 35 of the deaths were caused by settlers.

Since the start of the Gaza war, 41 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations in the West Bank, he said.

Israel has built hundreds of settlements housing 700,000 Jews since its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem – which Palestinians seek along with Gaza as a land to hope for a future – during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live with them. The settlements are illegal under international law.