The Palestinian government condemns “terrorist militias” and castigates the international community for its “failure” to end the violence.
Israeli settlers have attacked towns in the occupied West Bank, vandalizing Palestinian properties and clashing with Israeli soldiers.
The overnight attacks targeting Beit Furik and Huwara, both near the city of Nablus, mark the latest escalation of violence against Palestinians as Israeli settlers rush to establish new agricultural outposts in the West Bank as the war rages in Gaza.
Settlers attacked Beit Furik, located 9 kilometers southeast of Nablus, burning a house under construction, a grocery store and a vehicle, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported Wednesday.
The Israeli military said the attack began after troops arrived to dismantle an unauthorized agricultural outpost built nearby. The settlers responded by throwing stones, injuring two members of the paramilitary border police.
Another group of settlers attacked the village of Huwara, 8 km south of Nablus, burning a house under construction and two vehicles, according to Wafa. They clashed with Israeli soldiers near the nearby Palestinian village of Rujeib.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement on put an end to the spiral of Israeli violence.
This morning, Wednesday, terrorist #colon militias carried out brutal attacks on the towns of Beit Furik and Huwwara, near Nablus. In Beit Furik, they set fire to a house under construction, a grocery store and a vehicle. Likewise, in Huwwara, they set fire to another… pic.twitter.com/lbio8Rvw4e
— State of Palestine – MAE 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@pmofa) December 4, 2024
Israeli police and the Shin Bet security agency said in a statement that they were investigating the attacks. They said they arrested eight Israelis suspected of damaging property and attacking security forces.
The United Nations humanitarian office said late last month that settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during the recent olive harvest had “at least tripled” in 2024 compared to the past three years.
Throughout the year, Israeli settlers seized 23.7 square kilometers (9.15 square miles) of Palestinian land, making 2024 the record year for Israeli land seizures, according to Peace Now, a non-profit organization that monitors illegal land confiscations in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, Israeli security forces carried out nighttime raids across the West Bank, arresting at least 22 Palestinians, according to the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Society of Palestinian Prisoners.
Most of the arrests, including two children, a woman and a former prisoner, took place in Qalqilya and Tubas governorates, with the remainder taking place in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus, the groups said.
Israeli raids have accelerated in all West Bank governorates, and during these raids, Israeli soldiers use civilians’ homes as temporary military barracks, according to Wafa.
