Israeli Settlers Burn Mosque, Deface with Hate Messages Amid Condemnation

Israeli settlers set fire to and vandalized a mosque in a Palestinian village located in the central West Bank during the night, writing of...

Israeli settlers set fire to and vandalized a mosque in a Palestinian village located in the central West Bank during the night, writing offensive messages as an act of defiance, following some Israeli officials' condemnation of a recent attack by settlers on Palestinians.

A wall and at least three copies of the Quran, along with parts of the flooring, were set on fire at the mosque in the Palestinian town of Deir Istiya when an AP journalist visited on Thursday.

On one side of the mosque, settlers had sprayed graffiti with messages such as "we are not afraid," "we will take revenge again," and "continue to condemn." The Hebrew writing, hard to decipher, seemed to allude to Maj. Gen Avi Bluth, head of the military's Central Command, who issued an unusual criticism of the violence on Wednesday.

It marked the most recent in a series of incidents that have led to statements of worry from high-ranking officials, military figures, and the Trump administration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained silent regarding the increase in violence.

Israeli military personnel, who did not promptly provide a statement when asked, were on the location.

At a press conference on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned "some worry that developments in the West Bank might spread and affect the progress being made in Gaza."

A large number of young settlers have carried out numerous attacks since the conflict in Gaza began two years back. The frequency of these attacks has increased in recent weeks, coinciding with Palestinians gathering their olive trees in a traditional annual practice. According to the UN's humanitarian office, October recorded the highest number of settler attacks ever documented in the West Bank since the office started monitoring such incidents in 2006.

On Tuesday, a group of masked Israeli settlers launched an attack on the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank, setting fire to cars and other belongings before coming into conflict with Israeli military personnel.

President Isaac Herzog called the attacks "shocking and serious," lending his strong support to the limited criticism from high-ranking Israeli officials regarding the settler violence. Although Herzog's role is mainly symbolic, it aims to act as a moral guide and a unifying element for the nation.

Herzog mentioned that the violence carried out by a "small number" of individuals "transgresses a boundary," and in a social media update, he stated that "all governmental agencies need to take firm action to eliminate this issue."

The head of the Israeli military, Eyal Zamir, repeated Herzog's criticisms regarding the violence in the West Bank, stating that the armed forces "will not accept the actions of a small group of criminals who damage the image of a law-abiding population."

He stated that the military is dedicated to preventing violent actions carried out by settlers, which he referred to as conflicting with Israeli principles and "distracting our forces from carrying out their duties."

In his remarks on Wednesday, Rubio praised Israel's president and senior military leaders for condemning the Beit Lid attacks.

Palestinians and advocates for human rights allege that the Israeli military and law enforcement have not taken sufficient action to stop assaults carried out by settlers. The Israeli government is led by individuals from the far-right who support the settlement movement, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is responsible for shaping settlement policies, and Cabinet member Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is in charge of the country's police force.

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