Six indicted over arson and violence in Palestinian village near Ramallah

Six indictments were filed Friday in Jerusalem District Court over nationalist-motivated terror offenses, arson, sabotage and violent rioting in the Palestinian village of Deir Debwan. The defendants are Pinhas Greenberg, 18, from Beit Shemesh, and five minors aged 14 to 17 from Kfar Shamai, Kiryat Arba, Katzrin and Itamar. The minors’ names were barred from publication.

According to the indictments, submitted by Jerusalem District prosecutor Shiral Eldar, the accused and other youths הגיעו to Deir Debwan after a memorial ceremony held about two weeks earlier at the Nachal Michok agricultural farm in eastern Binyamin for Nachman Mordof, one of the victims of the June 2023 attack near the Ali gas station. That attack, in which terrorists fired M-16 rifles, killed four people sitting in a restaurant. The prosecution says the defendants came to the village masked, some carrying lighters, gloves, tear gas and a knife.

The state alleges they set fire at several points near the village, burned five vehicles, ignited a fire at the entrance to a mosque while people were inside, and sprayed flammable material that injured one worshipper. They also threw stones at homes and vehicles, and started a fire near a family house while the residents were inside, causing heavy property damage.

The charges include rioting, arson in a terror context, willful damage and assault with racist motives, stone-throwing at vehicles and assault on racist grounds. One defendant is also charged with illegal possession of a knife. Police said they would continue working with security agencies to stop violence and bring all those involved to justice, noting that 51 indictments have been filed since the start of 2026 against extremist offenders.