Israeli settlers burn Palestinian land, attack civilians in West Bank
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Israeli settlers, under army protection, burn Palestinian farmland and assault civilians in al-Mughayyir, Beit Ta’mar, and Arab al-Mlaihat.
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Mustafa Salama stands in the ruins of a wedding hall torched in a settler attack in the West Bank town of Biddya, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Hebrew graffiti: "fight the enemy not the lover," left, and "revenge," right. (AP)
Israeli settlers have increased violence in the occupied West Bank, burning Palestinian farmland and escalating assaults on civilians, according to local reports.
Israeli settlers burned vast areas of Palestinian farmland in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah and, under army protection, razed Palestinian-owned land in Beit Ta’mar village near Bethlehem to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, Israeli settlers also raided the Arab al-Mlaihat community in Ariha in the occupied West Bank.
Hasan Mlaihat, of al-Baidar Organization for Bedouin Rights, said that settlers forcibly entered the community, assaulted residents, and sprayed pepper spray in their faces, noting that settlers attacked a resident, beating him, leaving him choking from pepper spray, and terrorizing his family.
On the same day, Israeli forces raided the town of Tuqu, southeast of Beit Lahm in the occupied West Bank, routinely accompanying settlers during such attacks to provide armed support, including live fire, against any Palestinian resistance.
Israeli settlers sow chaos in the W. Bank
Earlier in April, Israeli settlers carried out a terror attack in the village of Duma, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, injuring three Palestinians, burning two animal farms and three cars, all under the protection and cover of Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
The head of Duma's village council, Suleiman Dawabsheh, told WAFA that around 300 Israeli settlers invaded the western side of the village, setting livestock farms on fire and wrecking cars.
Here we go again
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) April 1, 2025
More than 300 Israeli 🇮🇱 extremist settlers reportedly burn Palestinian 🇵🇸 vehicles and agricultural lands, and open fire toward residences in Duma south of Nablus, West Bankhttps://t.co/Rbf7wnktbR pic.twitter.com/aOWaFyqBIv
Israeli forces intensify W. Bank campaign
According to Israeli media reports on May 3, during April's West Bank operations, hundreds of Palestinians were detained, weapons were confiscated, and hundreds of thousands of shekels were taken from Palestinian homes.
According to an Israeli Channel 12 report citing a military spokesperson, during April's West Bank operations, Israeli forces arrested 290 Palestinians, seized 60 weapons, and "seized" hundreds of thousands of shekels.
The United Nations reports that approximately 40,000 residents have been displaced since January 21, when the Israeli Occupation Forces initiated a military operation in the northern occupied West Bank, which they claim targets Palestinian Resistance groups.
This ongoing Israeli operation, named "Iron Wall," has focused mainly on three refugee camps: Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams. In February, Security Minister Israel Katz stated the operation would continue for several months.
