Israeli settlers torch mosque, scrawl hateful messages after condemnation from army leaders

Israeli settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village within the central West Bank in a single day, scribbling hateful messages in a present of defiance, a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a latest assault by settlers in opposition to Palestinians.

One wall and no less than three copies of the Quran and a few of the carpeting on the mosque within the Palestinian city of Deir Istiya had been torched when an AP reporter visited on Thursday (November 13, 2025).

On one facet of the mosque, settlers had left graffiti messages like “we aren’t afraid,” “we are going to take revenge once more,” and “carry on condemning.” The Hebrew scrawl, tough to make out, appeared to reference Maj. Gen Avi Bluth, the chief of the army’s Central Command, issued a uncommon denunciation of the violence on Wednesday (November 12, 2025).

It was the most recent in a string of assaults which have provoked expressions of concern from prime officers, army leaders and the Trump administration. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the surge in violence.

Soldiers from Israel’s army, which didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, had been current on the scene.

Speaking at a press convention on Wednesday (November 12, 2025), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated there was “some concern about occasions within the West Bank spilling over and creating an impact that might undermine what we’re doing in Gaza.”

Young settlers have launched tons of of assaults because the warfare in Gaza erupted two years in the past. The assaults have intensified in latest weeks as Palestinians harvest their olive timber in an annual ritual. October was the month with the highest-ever variety of recorded settler assaults within the West Bank because the UN’s humanitarian workplace started conserving observe in 2006, says the workplace.

On Tuesday, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf within the West Bank, setting fireplace to automobiles and different property earlier than clashing with Israeli troopers.

President Isaac Herzog described the assaults as “surprising and severe,” including a strong voice to what has been muted criticism by prime Israeli officers of the settler violence. Herzog’s place, whereas largely ceremonial, is supposed to function an ethical compass and unifying pressure for the nation.

Mr. Herzog stated the violence dedicated by a “handful” of perpetrators crosses a pink line,” including in a social media publish that “all state authorities should act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon.”

The Israeli military’s chief of employees, Eyal Zamir, echoed Mr. Herzog’s condemnations of the West Bank violence, saying the army “is not going to tolerate the phenomena of a minority of criminals who tarnish a law-abiding public.” He stated the military is dedicated to stopping violent acts dedicated by settlers, which he described as opposite to Israeli values and that “divert the eye of our forces from fulfilling their mission.” In his feedback on Wednesday, Mr. Rubio counseled Israel’s president and the high-ranking army officers for denouncing the Beit Lid assaults.

Palestinians and human rights staff accuse the Israeli military and police of failing to halt assaults by settlers. Israel’s authorities is dominated by far-right proponents of the settler motion, together with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who formulates settlement coverage, and Cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the nation’s police pressure.