Israeli settlers try to torch West Bank mosque, Palestinians say

BAZZARYAH: Israeli settlers attempted to burn a mosque in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, according to Palestinians, marking another such attack in the territory. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs characterized the incident as a criminal act. Images and video from the scene in Bazzaryah, close to Nablus, revealed blackened burn marks near a mosque room window and threatening Hebrew messages on the building's exterior walls.

Around 2:45 am, settlers suddenly attacked the mosque, resulting in a small explosion that ignited a fire inside, said nearby resident Majed Nasr. The settlers subsequently left the scene. Nasr reported that the flames were eventually subdued before spreading to the building's upper section. The Israeli military had not commented on the incident by the time of publication.

Since 2026, 13 mosques have been targeted by Israeli military or settlers, as per the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs. On Tuesday, the Palestinian presidency cautioned of the dangers of the ongoing and intensifying religious conflict waged by Israeli military and settlers against religious sites, including the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem's occupied territory.

The statement labeled the systematic attacks as crossing all red lines and risking a religious conflict with severe regional and global consequences. Israel has held the West Bank since 1967. Settlers' violence against Palestinians has continued for years, often with minimal or no legal repercussions, but recent months have witnessed a surge in such attacks.

Over 500,000 Israelis reside in settlements in the Palestinian territory, which are deemed illegal under international law, amidst a population of three million Palestinians. On Tuesday, Israeli police announced the arrest of eight individuals between the ages of 16 and 20, suspected of involvement in arson attacks and assaults in southern Hebron, another area in the southern West Bank.