Firestorm in the West Bank: Settlers Target Mosques, Cars and Farmland
Palestinians claim that overnight attacks by Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques and vandalised cars, farmland, and homes in the West Bank.
The incidents followed a deadly clash near the village of Tal that left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead. Settlers are alleged to have torched the mosque under construction in Qusra, spray‑painted revenge slogans, and set fire to another mosque in Kour. Vandalism included damaged cars and farmland, as well as amplified hate graffiti.
Israeli authorities dispatched the IDF to investigate, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “powerful action” over the violence and threatened the demolition of homes belonging to alleged perpetrators.
The West Bank has witnessed a surge in settler attacks in recent months, amid protests worldwide, yet policy changes remain stagnant. The United Nations reports that the majority of casualties in the West Bank are caused by the IDF, with 35 deaths attributed to settlers, and 41 Israeli casualties since the Gaza war began.
The construction of hundreds of settlements, housing 700,000 Jews, continues in territories the Palestinians consider part of a future state, a move deemed illegal under international law, contributing to the conflict’s persistence.
