DayofPal– In the early hours of Sunday morning, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Arab Al-Mleihat, north of Jericho, along with an agricultural tractor in the area.
Eyewitnesses reported that the settlers arrived in a vehicle, infiltrated the village, and torched both the mosque and the tractor before making their escape.
Footage from the scene captured the moment flames engulfed the mosque completely. The fire spread rapidly, made worse by the region’s remote location, which hinders the ability of firefighting and civil defense teams to respond swiftly.
The Arab Al-Mleihat community in Al-Ma’arajat has been a frequent target of settler attacks. Residents suffer from ongoing assaults on their properties, theft of their livestock, and destruction of their livelihoods.
For the people of Al-Ma’arajat, this is more than just a struggle—it is an existential battle. Settlers, acting in line with Israeli government policies, continue efforts to force Palestinian communities out of the West Bank, particularly in the Jordan Valley, Masafer Yatta, and Nablus.
This is not the first time settlers have targeted mosques in the West Bank. One of the most recent attacks occurred on December 20, 2024, when settlers burned down the Bir Al-Walidayn Mosque in the village of Marda, near Salfit. Racist slogans, including “Death to Arabs,” were scrawled across its walls.
Though residents managed to contain the fire before it consumed the entire mosque, large portions were already lost to the flames—another act of destruction in a pattern of violence that shows no sign of stopping.
During his first week in office, US President Donald Trump overturned sanctions on over 30 illegal Israeli settlers and groups in the occupied West Bank, sparking tension with Palestinians who fear of ‘more crimes’ by the settlers.
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