Israeli Settlers Burn West Bank Mosque Amid Rise in Violent Attacks
Middle East|West Bank Mosque Is Burned as Israeli Settler Violence Surges
West Bank Mosque Is Burned as Israeli Settler Violence Surges
Since the 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, growing settler violence and Israeli attacks on Palestinian militants have thrown the West Bank into turmoil and displaced tens of thousands.
A man in a long robe inspects a burned wall of a mosque that was attacked in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Inspecting damage at a mosque in the village of Deir Istiya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday.Credit…Ali Sawafta/Reuters
Nov. 13, 2025Updated 12:22 p.m. ET
Extremist Israeli settlers burned a mosque in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to Palestinian officials, an attack that comes as U.S. and Israeli military officials are increasingly concerned over an escalation of settler violence in the territory.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, there has been a drastic surge in settler violence as well as an Israeli crackdown on Palestinian militants in the West Bank. The growing turmoil has displaced tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians.
“These extremist groups are destroying our lives,” said Ahmad Salem, the imam of the mosque that was attacked on Thursday. “Every day, we’re feeling more scared.”
The attacks have exposed frustration within the Israeli military, with some commanders saying they need the government to authorize harsher measures to crack down on lawbreakers. This year, the right-wing government, which includes settler leaders, curbed some of the powers that law enforcement authorities had been using to detain Israeli settlers.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, issued a rare condemnation of settler violence against Palestinians this week.
The Trump administration also expressed worry about the attacks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Wednesday that settler violence could complicate the fragile cease-fire in Gaza after a two-year war.
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Natan Odenheimer is a Times reporter in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
