Settlers Burn West Bank Mosques as Israeli Military Watches

Aspen —“'The military arrived here, saw with their own eyes and then left,'” Ahmed Abu Mahmoud said.

The 64-year-old resident of Qusra watched his neighbor’s mosque burn. He heard the noise at 3 a.m. The fire was too big for one man. He called for help. The soldiers came. They looked. They left.

Two mosques in the northern West Bank were set on fire overnight Sunday. Israeli officials called it an apparent settler attack. The violence follows a deadly surge that killed four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers.

The damage was extensive. In Qusra, attackers spray-painted the walls. The words read “revenge Benayahu,” referring to an Israeli soldier killed on Friday. He lived in a nearby settlement. Another phrase read “the land of Israel is redeemed with blood.”

Across the border in Kour, security footage showed three people in civilian clothes. They triggered a large explosion at the mosque entrance. Residents held prayers Sunday despite the damage.

Israel’s military condemned the incidents. They said security forces would act decisively. But locals know the script. The army often announces investigations. It rarely makes arrests. It rarely prosecutes settlers involved in the violence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government faces accusations of turning a blind eye. Palestinians and the Israeli opposition say this inaction threatens to ignite widespread violence.

Netanyahu told troops entered villages to seize weapons and make arrests. “We are also prepared to operate on a broader scale against the terrorist nests,” he said.

The military reported sealing the homes of two Palestinian militants. These men are suspected of killing the soldiers. Israel often demolishes these homes, claiming it deters future attacks.

Over the weekend, Israel arrested more than 70 Palestinians. Soldiers and police closed major roads. They blocked access to a hospital where two militants were hiding.

The spark for Friday’s violence remains unclear. Israeli media and local Palestinian officials say it started when settlers entered the village of Tell. Residents feared an attack. A confrontation followed.

According to the Israeli military, one Palestinian took a settler’s weapon. He fired on the group. He killed Benayahu.

The short version? The fires burned. The soldiers watched. The government promised action. The locals waited.

Feinsinger reported in the Vail Daily that the mosques in Qusra and Kour suffered extensive damage. The Associated Press obtained the footage in Kour showing the explosion.

Neighbors are left with charred walls and unanswered questions. Did the military really just watch? Or did they wait for the right moment to step in?

The fires are out. The smoke lingers.