West Bank Attacks: Settlers Set Fire to Mosques, Cars and Farmland, Palestinians Report
Palestinian officials have reported that Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques, as well as cars and agricultural land in the occupied West Bank, as tensions in the territory continue to rise.
The latest attacks come two days after a clash between settlers and Palestinians near the village of Tal, which left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead. Both sides have accused each other of provoking the violence.
The confrontation has further inflamed the situation in the West Bank, which has seen increasing violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians, encouraged by far-right elements in the current Israeli government, according to Palestinian sources.
Palestinian reports say that two villages in the occupied West Bank came under attack from settlers overnight, with cars vandalised, property stolen, and hate graffiti spray-painted on walls. The mayor of Qusra, Abdul Azim Wadi, said that settlers set fire to a mosque that was under construction and sprayed graffiti that included the word 'revenge' on its walls.
The Israeli military has said that troops were sent to Qusra and that police would investigate and collect evidence. In a separate incident, Palestinian officials say 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 have reported multiple settler attacks on villages across the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have carried out raids and arrested more than 130 individuals over the weekend in what they have called a 'counter-terrorism' operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the incident in Tal by vowing to take 'powerful action', including the possible demolition of the homes of two Palestinians allegedly involved in the clash.
