West Bank Mosques Are Set on Fire

Two mosques in the Israeli-occupied West Bank were set on fire overnight in an apparent Israeli settler attack, officials said Sunday, after a spate of violence that killed four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers. Palestinians and the Israeli opposition accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line government of turning a blind eye to attacks by settlers against Palestinians, which threaten to ignite widespread violence across the territory. Israeli soldiers and police fanned out across the West Bank after the attack, the AP reports, closing off major roads and blocking access to a hospital where it said two militants were hiding. Israel also arrested more than 70 Palestinians over the weekend.

The mosques, in the villages of Qusra and Kour in the northern West Bank, suffered extensive damage in the fires. In Qusra, the attackers spray-painted "revenge Benayahu," referring to one of the Israeli soldiers killed on Friday, and "the land of Israel is redeemed with blood." The soldier lived in a nearby settlement. Ahmed Abu Mahmoud, 64, who lives next to the Qusra mosque, said he heard noises at 3am and discovered the mosque was burning. The fire was too large for him to fight on his own, so he called for help. "The military arrived here, saw with their own eyes and then left," Mahmoud said. Security footage in Kour obtained by the AP showed three people in civilian clothes setting off a large explosion at the entrance of the mosque in the middle of the night.

On Sunday, residents held prayers despite damage to the entrance. Israel's military said it was working with police to investigate the attack. "The security forces strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious sites, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and public order in the area," it said. The Israeli army often announces investigations into violence against Palestinians but rarely makes arrests or prosecutes settlers over the violence, the AP notes. The military also reported it had sealed the homes of two Palestinian militants suspected of killing the soldiers in preparation for their demolition. Israel often demolishes the homes of attackers, claiming it deters future attacks. On Sunday, Netanyahu said troops entered villages across the West Bank to seize weapons and make arrests. "We are also prepared to operate on a broader scale against the terrorist nests," he said.