“Israeli” Settlers Torch West Bank Mosque amid Rising Violence against Palestinians

By Staff, Agencies

A group of “Israeli” settlers vandalized and set fire to the Bar Al-Walidain Mosque in the northern West Bank village of Marda, local media reported.

According to Palestinian sources, the illegal settlers stormed the mosque overnight into Friday, leaving behind hateful graffiti, including the phrases "revenge" and "death to Arabs," spray-painted on its walls and floor. Video footage from the site showed burn marks at the mosque’s entrance.

Local residents managed to extinguish the fire before it could engulf the entire structure. Nasfat al-Khufash, head of the Marda village council, described the incident as a “systematic terror attack” by settlers.

“This is part of continuous and systematic attacks by settler groups,” al-Khufash said.

Abdallah Kamil, governor of Salfit, attributed the attack to the protection settlers receive from the Israeli army. He highlighted previous incidents where settlers entered the village under military protection, committing similar acts of vandalism.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as a “blatant act of racism” stemming from incitement campaigns by “elements of the extremist right-wing ruling government” of "Israel."

The ministry called on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to protect Palestinians.

The United Nations has documented nearly 1,500 instances of settler violence in the occupied West Bank over the past year. These incidents frequently occur under the protection of "Israeli" soldiers.

Since October 2023, "Israel" has intensified its violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, coinciding with its war in Gaza. Settler violence has resulted in the forced displacement of Palestinian communities, while "Israeli" forces have killed over 800 Palestinians and detained more than 12,000 during this period.