Settlers Attack Palestinian Towns in West Bank, Torching Property

Settlers escalated their attacks on Palestinians and their property across several West Bank governorates on Tuesday, according to media sources. The assaults included attempts to set fire to numerous properties, among them four vehicles and a house, as well as firing shots at shepherds and vandalizing property while writing racist slogans.

In the town of Aqrabah, Salah Jaber, the mayor, stated that the targeted vehicles belonged to residents of the town. Meanwhile, in the village of Al-Maniya, southeast of Bethlehem, settlers fired at shepherds in the "Khalayel Al-Qasr" area east of the village. No injuries were reported, but the settlers continued to provoke shepherds and residents in the area.

Ahmed Kawazbeh, head of the Al-Maniya village council, reported a recent increase in settler attacks against the village and its residents. These attacks have involved assaulting homes and shepherds, destroying water lines, stealing water tanks and generators, and blocking roads leading to residents' homes.

These incidents occur amid a broader surge in settler violence throughout the West Bank. Last month alone, settlers carried out 647 attacks. The Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate saw the highest number with 506 attacks, followed by Nablus with 342, Hebron with 272, Jenin with 202, Bethlehem with 187, Tulkarm with 152, and Jerusalem with 149 attacks. These attacks typically involve burning and vandalizing vehicles and homes, uprooting trees, seizing land, physical assaults, and road blockades.