Jerusalem
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In the latest arson attack in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers set a car on fire as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security council on settler violence.
The settlers set fire to a car scrapyard in the northern West Bank town of Huwara, witnesses and the Palestinian state news agency WAFA said.
The Israeli military said it had sent soldiers to Huwara following reports that Israeli civilians were throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles, setting fires and damaging property.
Footage obtained by CNN shows numerous cars on fire as firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. Thick black smoke pours into the night sky from the fire, which appears to have spread over a large area.
Mohamed Dalal, the owner of the scrapyard, said more than a dozen settlers descended on the site, destroying cars and starting a fire. He said no one was at the scrapyard at the time, but it is estimated that 150 cars were set on fire or damaged.
“I have kids in college, I have grandchildren, I have a family. We all depend on this scrapyard,” Dalal told CNN. “Like many Palestinians, I have an olive tree, but it is not harvested, so this is our only source of income. All I can do is ask God to compensate me.”
Two Israeli officials said the attack occurred on the same night that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security meeting to discuss settler violence in the West Bank, which has soared in recent weeks and months. It is unclear whether any decisions have been made about how to respond to the escalating attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday issued an unusual condemnation of settler violence, saying the attack was carried out by a “small extremist group.”
Last year, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Israel would no longer use administrative detention against Israeli settlers, preventing the country’s security services from using one of the most powerful tools to confine settlers, which they widely use against Palestinians.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that a car was set on fire in a Palestinian town near the settlement of Yitzhar, known for its extremist ideology. The Israel Defense Forces said no one was injured after the incident and soldiers searching the area did not find the suspect.
The latest attack was the second major arson attack in recent days, after dozens of settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles south of Bethlehem. Last week, settlers set a massive arson attack in agricultural areas in the northern West Bank, setting fire to trucks and metal warehouses.
Fuwara has been attacked by settlers before. In June 2023, settlers rampaged through the town, killing one Palestinian man and injuring hundreds. A former Israeli Defense Forces commander later called it a “pogrom.” The large-scale attack was carried out in “revenge” after a Palestinian gunman killed two brothers who lived nearby.
