Key facts
- Israeli settlers attacked the villages of Turmus Ayya and Abu Falah, east of Ramallah.
- Two vehicles were set on fire.
- Settlers attempted to set fire to a house belonging to American citizen Mustafa Eid Za’atar.
- Videos of the attacks were posted online by Palestinian organizations and activists.
- Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages.
- Four Israelis were arrested for extremist violence.
- Four Palestinians were wounded.
- The UN reported over 260 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in October.
Israeli settlers attacked the outskirts of the Palestinian villages of Turmus Ayya and Abu Falah, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, setting two vehicles on fire, according to videos posted online by Palestinian organizations and activists. The settlers also attempted to set fire to a house belonging to Mustafa Eid Za’atar, an American citizen from the village of Turmus Ayya.
Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the villages, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers sent to halt the rampage, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. It was the latest in a series of attacks by young settlers in the West Bank. Israeli police said four Israelis were arrested in what it described as “extremist violence", while the Israeli military said four Palestinians were wounded. Police and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency said they were investigating.
The UN humanitarian office reported more Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in October than in any other month since it began keeping records in 2006 – over 260 incidents in total. Palestinians and human rights groups accuse the Israeli army and police of failing to halt attacks by settlers. Palestinian official Muayyad Shaaban said the settlers set fire to four dairy trucks, farmland, tin shacks, and tents belonging to a Bedouin community, accusing Israel of giving the settlers protection and immunity. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the attacks, saying that “settler violence and the acceleration of settlement projects are reaching new heights, threatening the stability of the West Bank".