West Bank: Settlers Torch Palestinian Homes, Vehicles

By Staff, Agencies

Amid escalating violence by "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] in the occupied West Bank, extremist Jewish settlers launched two separate major attacks, torching Palestinian homes and vehicles.

Dhyab Masha’la, the head of the local council, said dozens of settlers rampaged through the village of al-Jab’a, located 15 kilometers [9.3 miles] southwest of Bethlehem, on Monday evening, torching three Palestinian homes, one shack and three vehicles.

Eyewitnesses noted that more than 100 extremist settlers took part in the assault.

Masha’la told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that the attackers caused extensive damage to the village, but that locals managed to extinguish the flames. No casualties were reported.

According to "Israeli" Army Radio, the attack was allegedly in retaliation for the dismantling of an illegal settler outpost and clashes in the "Gush Etzion" region earlier in the day.

Earlier on Monday, WAFA reported that settlers, under the protection of the IOF, had set a house and two vehicles ablaze while also physically attacking several civilians in the town of Sa’ir, located northeast of al-Khalil.

"Israeli" settlers attacked the Palestinians using batons and sharp tools, causing injuries to several women. IOF prevented fire engines and ambulances from accessing the scene.

The head of the Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission [CRRC], Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, said on November 5 that IOF carried out 1,584 attacks across the West Bank last month, which included direct physical assaults, home demolitions, and the uprooting of olive trees.

The governorates experiencing the bulk of the violence were Ramallah with 542 incidents, Nablus with 412, and al-Khalil with 401.

The research, compiled in a CRRC monthly report titled Occupation Violations and Colonial Expansion Measures, additionally recorded 766 attacks carried out by settlers.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice [ICJ] declared "Israel’s" decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal.

The ICJ demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds.

The court’s advisory opinion, though not legally binding, carries significant political weight as it marks the first time the ICJ has delivered a position on the legality of the 57-year occupation.