Jewish extremists clash with Palestinians, burn fields in West Bank town
Palestinians throw rocks at troops who arrive on scene to disperse rioters, with 2 injured as soldiers return fire; Hadash-Ta’al MK calls incident ‘another pogrom’
Jewish extremists rioted Thursday night in the West Bank town of Qusra, throwing stones at Palestinian residents and burning property, Hebrew media reported.
The apparent settler “hilltop youth” tried to burn down a house, and successfully burned several agricultural fields in the town, near the city of Nablus, a security source told Army Radio, which referred to the incident as Jewish terrorism. Footage circulating on social media appeared to show the blazes.
Palestinians threw stones at the perpetrators and at Israeli troops who arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd, Army Radio reported.
Soldiers returned fire, injuring two Palestinians, according to the report.
The Israel Defense Forces have not commented on the incident.
Hadash-Ta’al MK Ofer Cassif called the incident “another pogrom in a long chain of crimes by scumbags from the hills and their allies,” and blasted the army and police for not assisting the town’s residents.
Settler violence in the West Bank was already at a more than 15-year high in 2023 and surged further after the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. Several countries, including the United States, have recently issued sanctions against those accused of violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
At least 520 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers across the West Bank, Palestinian authorities say, since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, most in violent clashes with Israeli troops, but a few were shot dead by settlers during altercations.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,150 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,750 affiliated with Hamas.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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