West Bank: Israeli Settlers Vandalize Mosque, Set It on Fire
Occupied West Bank (Quds News Network)- Israeli settlers stormed Marda village, north of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, where they vandalised a mosque and set fire to it on Friday.
Footage from that incident shows the blackened entrance to the Bar Al-Walidain Mosque, with anti-Palestinian graffiti scrawled on the walls.
Footage shows Israeli settlers infiltrating the village of Marda, the occupied West Bank, after midnight last night, setting fire to a mosque and spray-painting anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian slogans on its walls. pic.twitter.com/2wJPrhe4WA
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 20, 2024
Local residents were able to extinguish the fire before it spread, according to local sources.
In pictures: Early this morning, Israeli settler militias set fire to a mosque in the village of Marda near Salfit, the occupied West Bank, leaving behind hateful graffiti targeting Palestinians and Arabs. pic.twitter.com/JDcpcqocjR
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 20, 2024
Sheikh Othman al-Din, the Director of Awqaf in Salfit, condemned the arson attack, describing it as a criminal act targeting a sacred place of worship. He urged the local community to remain vigilant, fearing further attacks from the extremist Israeli settlers.
The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs also condemned the attack, calling on the international community and human rights organizations to denounce such acts of aggression and hold those responsible accountable.
Abdullah Kamil, the governor of Salfit, held the Israeli government fully responsible for the actions of Israeli settlers in Marda village. Kamil said these acts are enabled by far-right Israeli ministers and are carried out under the protection of the Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry slammed the attack and called on the United Nations to “activate the international protection system”.
The ministry said it considered the attack to be “racist par excellence” and a reflection of the Israeli far-right government’s policies of incitement campaigns against Palestinians.
Such actions are an “extension of a long series of violations and crimes by the armed and organised settler militias officially supported by the Netanyahu government”, the ministry added.
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Israeli occupation authorities claimed to have launched an investigation into the incident, according to a statement cited by Israeli media.
“We view the incident with severity and will work with determination to bring those responsible to justice,” a joint statement by Israel’s police and the Shin Bet internal security service reportedly said.
Israeli settler violence against Palestinians has been on the rise for several years now. Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, the attacks in the occupied West Bank have spiked even more.
Since the war began, there had been 1,000 settler attacks against Palestinians, a report issued by the International Crisis Group in September found.
