West Bank01 September, 20262 min read
Israeli Settlers Attempt To Set Fire To Nur Al-Din Zengi Mosque In Bazariya Near Nablus
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Israeli settlers attempted arson at Nur al-Din al-Zanki Mosque in Bazariya near Nablus. They sprayed racist slogans and damaged interior, failing to breach doors.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Arson Attempt in Bazariya
Israeli settlers attempted to set fire to a mosque early Tuesday in the town of Bazariya, northwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, after failing to break into the Nur al-Din Zengi Mosque by forcing open its doors. Local sources said the settlers set fire to a room near the mosque and spray-painted racist slogans at the site, while the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs condemned what it described as a criminal attack against Bazariya.
WAFA reported the attempt occurred in Beita, early Tuesday morning northwest of Nablus, and said colonists set fire to a room near the Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque after failing to break down its doors and spray-painting racist slogans. In the account attributed to Nablus Endowments Directorate, Sheikh Nasser al-Salman said the attempt to burn parts of the Noor al-Din Zengi Mosque and deface it with racist slogans reflected ongoing incitement against holy sites.
Condemnations and Graffiti
The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs described the targeting of mosques and places of worship as a dangerous and systematic escalation aimed at provoking Muslims and violating the sanctity of religious sites protected under international laws and conventions. Sheikh Nasser al-Salman, Director General of the Nablus Endowments, said, “Mosques will remain places of worship filled with their people and their religious mission,” adding that “These criminal attacks will not break the will of our people or their attachment to their land and holy sites,”.
Al Jazeera correspondent Laith Jaa’ar said the settlers poured flammable materials at the mosque entrance in an attempt to burn it, and that residents rushed to extinguish the fire after hearing an explosion. Al Jazeera also quoted the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs saying more than 1,450 settler attacks have been recorded in the West Bank since the start of the year, injuring about 1,040 Palestinians.
Broader Pattern and Stakes
The attack in Bazariya was described as part of a rise in settler attacks on Palestinian villages and towns, with Al Jazeera saying the rising attacks are carried out with the support and protection of the Israeli political level, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Al Jazeera further reported that the attack came days after Knesset member Itamar? Itzik? S. Suhot? Sookot entered the village of Ma dium south of Nablus and desecrated a martyrs’ monument there, actions Palestinians see as encouraging settlers to escalate their attacks across the West Bank.
The Yaffa News Network said colonists grazed their sheep on Palestinian-owned land in the Khalayel al-Louz area south of Bethlehem, causing damage and destruction of trees, and noted that the area has been subjected to repeated attacks including assaults on homes and vehicles, gunfire, and theft of sheep.
In the same reporting, the West Bank has seen near-daily assaults in recent months, and عكاظ said settlers’ attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 25 Palestinians during the first eight months of this year, according to the Palestinian Resistance Commission against the Wall and Settlements.