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Settlers Torch West Bank Mosque After Village Arsons as Israeli Leaders Pledge Crackdown

Despite rare condemnations from Israel’s leadership, prosecutions remain scarce as settler violence hits record levels.

Overview

  • Dozens of masked settlers set fire to trucks, warehouses and Bedouin structures in Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf, with four Palestinians injured, according to the Israeli military.
  • Police said four Israeli suspects were arrested after the village attacks; three were released the next day while a minor was remanded for six days on suspicion of arson and assault.
  • The military said settlers later attacked responding soldiers near the Baron Industrial Zone, damaging a vehicle before dispersal with riot-control measures.
  • Hours after the condemnations, a mosque in Deir Istiya was torched and defaced with graffiti; an AP reporter saw burned Qurans and scorched walls at the site.
  • President Isaac Herzog and senior commanders, including Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, denounced the violence as UN data logged 264 settler-related incidents in October and rights group Yesh Din reported very low indictment rates.