Six Suspected Settlers Arrested After Alleged Arson Attack Near Ramallah

Israeli settlers allegedly set fire overnight, between Sunday and Monday, to Palestinian farmland near Ramallah, according to local reports. The same reports said the group also threw stones and tried to break into a home. Palestinian sources said the blaze destroyed large areas of fields and much of the agricultural crop, and one person was reported injured in the hand.

Police said the arson incidents took place in the villages of Deir Dibwan and Burqa, on both sides of Route 60, east of Ramallah. Border Police and IDF forces were sent to the scene, and an investigation was opened by the Judea and Samaria District police. Police and forensic investigators entered the sites together with IDF troops and collected evidence, findings and testimony.

During the searches, security forces arrested six Jewish suspects believed to have taken part in the arson in Deir Dibwan. The suspects were transferred for questioning by the joint district headquarters, which includes police, the army and the Shin Bet. The investigation is continuing.

Police said it views such incidents of violence and damage “with severity” and will continue working “determinedly and professionally” to identify those involved, investigate them and bring them to justice. The article also recalled a separate attack on Huwara about a week earlier, when masked settlers stormed the West Bank town in pickup trucks, stoned residents, assaulted people and vandalized property, and one soldier was filmed joining the attack. IDF spokesman said those actions were “grave and do not align with the values of the IDF,” and that the soldier would face disciplinary and command measures if identified. Last month, Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Blot called Jewish nationalist crime against Palestinians in the West Bank “terror” in some cases, warning that the army was “a step away from disaster.”