Settlers Attack Palestinian Property Across West Bank, Causing Damage and Heightening Tensions

BETHLEHEM, West Bank / PNN / Monjed Jadou Israeli settlers carried out a series of attacks across the occupied West Bank early Friday, targeting Palestinian homes, vehicles and infrastructure, in incidents local officials say are part of a pattern of near-daily violence under the protection of Israeli forces.In the town of Kifl Haris, north of Salfit, settlers attacked a home in the center of the town and smashed the windows of four vehicles, causing material damage, according to Mayor Munir Abu Yaqub.Residents say the town has been subjected to repeated incursions and attacks by settlers, including the desecration of Islamic holy sites.Elsewhere, monitoring groups reported additional incidents across several areas.Near the Deir Dibwan bridge, east of Ramallah, settlers set fire to a Palestinian vehicle. In a separate incident, settlers erected a tent on the outskirts of Deir Abu Mashaal, also near Ramallah, in what residents fear is a step toward establishing a new settlement outpost.Settlers also attacked a Palestinian family in the town of al-Taybeh, east of Ramallah, cutting off water and electricity lines to their home. In nearby Beitin, they assaulted ambulance crews during an attack on the village’s outskirts and confiscated a vehicle belonging to a Palestinian युवक from the town of Burqa.In Deir Dibwan, settlers closed the main iron gate at the town’s entrance, while farmers reported being attacked on the outskirts of Jammala and Beitillu, west of Ramallah.Residents also reported the establishment of a new settlement outpost in the area of al-Qa'ma, on the outskirts of Burqa village.In the southern West Bank, settlers released livestock near Palestinian homes in the Khillet al-Hamas area south of Yatta, in Hebron governorate, causing damage to property and farmland.In Jerusalem, settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and performed religious rituals in the eastern section of the site, near the Dome of the Rock. Others attacked shepherds in the Anata plain, east of the city.In the northern West Bank, settlers damaged an الكهرباء pole in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. Local sources said attackers cut the pole in the Qamas area, which has been subjected to repeated settler assaults.Palestinian officials and rights groups have repeatedly warned that such incidents are increasing in frequency, raising concerns of further escalation and the impact on Palestinian communities across the West Bank.