Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank early Sunday, setting fire to two mosques and spray-painting graffiti on buildings, according to Palestinian officials.
The violence followed a deadly incident Friday in which four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers, one of whom served as a security coordinator for a nearby settlement, were killed after a group of Israeli settlers, some armed, approached the Palestinian village of Tal, southwest of Nablus.
Residents came out to confront the settlers, and a standoff followed, with video appearing to show a Palestinian man grabbing a settler’s weapon. Palestinian authorities say the settlers provoked the confrontation, while the Israeli military said gunfire came from both sides.
The clash was the latest in a string of settler-related incidents this year that have left dozens of Palestinians dead and hundreds wounded, according to U.N. and Palestinian Authority figures. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections in October, ordered a major security operation targeting what he described as terrorism against Israeli civilians, reinforcing troop presence in the West Bank and canceling military leave.
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Members of his government, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have renewed calls for annexing the territory, which Israel captured during the 1967 war.
Settlers carried out coordinated attacks on several West Bank villages in the early morning hours, Palestinian officials said. In Qusra, southeast of Nablus, village council head Abdel Azim Wadi said settlers set fire to a newly built mosque that had just been furnished and was nearly ready to open for worshippers. He told Reuters the attackers spray-painted Hebrew slogans on the walls, including references to Jewish revenge and the name of one of the Israelis killed near Tal.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs the section of the West Bank where Friday’s shootings occurred, characterized the violence as part of a broader assault on Palestinians, with the prime minister’s office describing it on social media as state-backed settler terrorism escalating into systematic pogroms across the territory.
The Israeli military said troops dispatched to Qusra, located near several large settlements, discovered graffiti and evidence of arson and are searching for suspects, with police being sent to collect evidence. The military condemned attacks on religious sites and said it would continue acting decisively to maintain order in the area.
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One Israeli military official said such violence diverts the armed forces’ attention from its core defense and counterterrorism responsibilities, though the official noted that troops arrested more than 130 people over the weekend, including alleged weapons traffickers, individuals linked to Hamas, people accused of incitement, and suspects allegedly planning imminent attacks.
Palestinian officials also reported that settlers attempted to burn a mosque near Kour, southeast of Tulkarm, and attacked Palestinian workers at a stone-cutting facility in Kafr Malik, near Ramallah. Kour village council member Farid Jiyousi said three settlers tried to set the mosque on fire at dawn, but worshippers extinguished the flames before they reached the building’s main prayer area, calling it the first such attack the village has experienced and noting that Hebrew graffiti had also been left behind.
As part of the broader security crackdown across the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested roughly 60 Palestinians starting Saturday night, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, which monitors Palestinians held in Israeli custody.
Most countries and United Nations bodies regard Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes. Palestinians view the territory as central to a future independent state, while Israel cites historical and biblical ties to the land. Netanyahu’s government, which opposes Palestinian statehood, has significantly accelerated settlement expansion in the region.
On Sunday, Pope Leo said he was following the escalating violence with deep concern and called for negotiations toward a just political solution, while also urging a rejection of actions that violate the sanctity and status quo of holy sites belonging to any religious faith.
