Israeli settlers vandalise, set fire to West Bank mosque, even as IDF chief says ‘will not tolerate’ extrem attacks | World News

Israeli settlers allegedly torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the central West Bank. According to an Associated Press report, one wall and at least three copies of the Quran and some of the carpeting at the mosque in the Palestinian town of Deir iya were burned the vandals.On one side of the mosque, settlers had daubed graffiti, including “we are not afraid,” “we will revenge again,” and “keep on condemning.”

Israeli army inspectors tour a mosque that was torched and defaced Israeli settlers overnight, in the West Bank town of Deir iya Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

IDF condemns Israeli settler violence in West Bank

This was the latest incident of violence Israeli settlers in the West Bank, which has spiraled out of control in recent weeks, forcing the Israeli government and the IDF to issue a rare denouncement.

On Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said he “strongly condemns” the recent attacks Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

According to Zamir, such acts contradict Israel’s values and cross a red line.

“We are aware of the recent violent incidents in which Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis. I strongly condemn them. The IDF will not tolerate phenomena of a criminal minority that stains a law-abiding public,” Zamir said in a statement issued the IDF.

On Wednesday, Maj. Gen Avi Bluth, the chief of the IDF’s Central Command, had also denounced the violence unleashed Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had sent troops to investigate the scene and hadn’t identified any suspects. It said that it was transferring the case to the Israeli police and security agency.

Attacks Israeli settlers

On Tuesday, the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf saw a major escalation in violence masked Israeli settlers who set fire to vehicles and other property.

Palestinians survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

According to the IDF, the settlers then fled to a near industrial zone and attacked soldiers responding to the violence, damaging a military vehicle. Four Israelis were arrested, and four Palestinians were wounded, authorities said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the attacks as “shocking and serious.” Herzog said that the violence committed a “handful” of perpetrators “crosses a red line,” adding in a social media post that “all state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon.”

Palestinians and journals survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Status of West Bank

The West Bank was occupied Israel in 1967, and ever since, it has been adminered the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The West Bank is home to some four million people, including around 3.3 million Palestinians and over 700,000 Israeli settlers.

Violence in West Bank

The Israeli settlers, who are often accompanied the IDF and Police, are accused of harassing and attacking Palestinian villagers. Such acts are frequent during the olive harvest season in the West Bank, which runs from September to November.

Palestinians say the goal of the violence is to push them off their lands. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 3,535 Palestinians have been displaced settler violence or access restrictions since 2023.

The current spate of violence Israeli settlers has invited a rare rebuke the US, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing concern over it spilling to Gaza.

There was “some concern about events in the West Bank spilling over and creating an effect that could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza,” Rubio said on Wednesday.