By Fayha Shalash

 

ISRAELI OCCUPIED WEST BANK, 31 July. - (ANA) - The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments documented the violation and attack on 13 mosque by the Israeli army and settlers since the beginning of 2026.

 

As residents of Qusra village, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, were preparing to inaugurate the Al-Rahma Mosque in the southern neighborhood, Israeli settlers were preparing to burn it down.

 

At dawn on Sunday, a group of Israeli settlers infiltrated the village and set fire to the mosque. Another group of Israelis burned down the mosque in the village of Kur, near Tulkarm.

 

Burning mosques in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers has alarmingly increased since 2023 and these holy sites are often the first target during Israeli raids on Palestinian villages and towns.

 

Abdul-Azim Wadi, the former mayor of Qusra, told The New Arab that this was not the first time Israeli settlers had burned a mosque in the village. In 2011, they burned down the Thul-Nurayn Mosque in the same manner.

 

This time, the Israeli settlers scrawled racist slogans on the mosque walls after setting it on fire. One of them read, "Mosques don't scare us," a phrase that almost perfectly encapsulates the ideological hostility of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

 

"Just one day before the fire, the villagers were painting the interior walls and carpeting it in preparation for its upcoming opening. But the fire was so intense that it consumed most of the mosque and even knocked stones from their places," Wadi remarked.

 

In the village of Kur, south of Tulkarm, which is considered far from any Israeli settlement activity, the mosque's imam was shocked at dawn to find flames engulfing the main door and starting to spread to the carpets.

 

Hatem Jiyousi, head of the village council, told TNA that Israeli settlers infiltrated the eastern side of the village and poured a highly flammable substance and then setting fire to the mosque's door.

 

"The imam managed to extinguish the flames using water, and the damage didn't reach inside. We will replace the wooden door and the damaged carpets. When we reviewed the security camera footage, we saw three settlers withdrawing after setting the mosque on fire," Jiyousi added.

 

This historic village is located in "Area B", with the nearest illegal Israeli settlement located about 15 kilometers away.

 

"We used to consider ourselves far from the settlements and settler attacks, but after the mosque was burned, we fear for the village and its homes, as it seems nothing is stopping them from getting closer," Jiyousi concluded.

 

 

 

 

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments documented the violation and attack on 13 mosques in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli army and settlers since the beginning of 2026.

 

It also recorded settler attacks on 45 mosques in the occupied West Bank during 2025, under the protection of the Israeli army.

 

The Ministry strongly condemned these  "heinous crimes," asserting that targeting and burning mosques are part of a systematic and planned campaign targeting the Palestinian presence and religious rights, under the protection and with the tacit approval of the Israeli army.

 

"This reprehensible attack is in complete contravention of all international norms and conventions that guarantee freedom of worship and the protection of holy sites. Furthermore, the continuation of these violations will only fuel further escalation and tension," the statement added.

 

The Palestinian Higher Fatwa Council also considered that the Israeli settlers' burning of the mosques in Qusra and Kur as a systematic Israeli policy targeting holy sites and places of worship, warning that the continuation of these violations would fuel tension in the region.

 

Amjad Shehab, an expert on Israeli affairs, told TNA noted that the burning of mosques by settlers is primarily linked to their core belief, which he described as the doctrine of Joshua bin Nun as found in biblical sources. He explained that they don’t view it as merely a historical event, but rather as a doctrine that must be implemented.

 

Shehab further explained that these fundamentalist Jewish groups believe the land should belong to them, and that the presence of mosques or any other religious sites on it represents a religious conflict. Therefore, by burning mosques, they attempt to ignite religious tensions and provoke a religious confrontation with the Palestinians.

 

“This doctrine was adopted by Rabbi Abraham Kook, and many extremist settlers are followers of his school of thought. For them, burning mosques serves multiple purposes,” he said.

 

The settlers believe that Islam is the most unifying element for Palestinians, and that the majority of Palestinians are Sunni Muslims. Thus, targeting mosques, especially by burning them, is extremely painful for them and, in the settlers' view, constitutes a form of defiance and a call to confrontation, he argued.

 

"Through these practices, they seek to demonstrate control and impose a reality that considers the occupied West Bank as 'Judea and Samaria,' and to deny the existence of Palestinians. These messages are also evident in the slogans and signs that settlers place in a number of locations," Shehab said.

 

"Among the methods used to dismantle Palestinian society is the attack on its religious and national symbols. Targeting mosques is part of this policy, along with attacks on people, property, and national symbols," Shehab added.

 

He further warned that if this policy continues for years, little will be left for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as what is happening is a de facto annexation of the land, which is less costly than formal annexation because it imposes facts on the ground without an official declaration.  - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/31 July 2026 - - -