Palestinian American, 92, says settler tried to burn West Bank mosque
Al Jazeera reported arson attacks on mosques and homes amid a wider rise in settler violence across the occupied West Bank.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
A 92-year-old Palestinian American said an Israeli settler tried to set fire to a West Bank mosque while he was inside, Al Jazeera reported. The account comes as Palestinian monitors, UN agencies and rights groups report a sharp rise in settler attacks on religious sites, homes and farmland.
Yasser Saqer Rashid told Al Jazeera he had finished Maghrib prayer and was reading the Quran at al-Marah mosque in Deir Dibwan, near Ramallah, when noise outside drew his attention. He said settlers had entered the mosque courtyard and that one man held a petrol bomb near a window, close to his face and clothes.
Rashid said the attacker poured a flammable substance on the mosque window. Surveillance footage cited by Al Jazeera showed masked settlers entering inner rooms of the mosque before leaving and setting fire to six vehicles owned by local residents.
Al Jazeera reported that another mosque, al-Noor in nearby Burqa, was attacked soon after. Attackers set tyres and other flammable material at the doors in an apparent attempt to burn the building, according to the report.
Adel Maatan, the muezzin of the Burqa mosque, told Al Jazeera he was reciting the Quran when the attack took place. He said residents would stay on their land.
Religious sites and homes targeted
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli forces and settlers carried out 22 attacks on Muslim religious sites in May 2026. The commission said most were in Hebron governorate, with others in Nablus, Jenin, Jericho and Ramallah.
Mansour Mansour, the mayor of Deir Dibwan, told Al Jazeera the attackers appeared to have assigned roles. He said one group went after the mosque and Rashid, another attacked nearby homes, and a third burned vehicles and crops before leaving.
Rashid, who holds US citizenship, told Al Jazeera his passport did not protect him. He appealed to Washington to protect Palestinian Americans facing settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
In Beit Imrin, near Nablus, Sadeq Faqih told Al Jazeera that settlers attacked his home on April 21, 2026, after a settler outpost was established nearby. Faqih said attackers broke glass doors and tried to enter the main house before local residents intervened.
Faqih said Israeli forces arrived about 20 minutes later and viewed surveillance footage that showed two unmasked attackers running toward the outpost. He told Al Jazeera he filed a police complaint and handed over evidence, but later learned the case had been closed against unidentified assailants.
Faqih said he later added barbed wire and metal guards to protect his family. His wife, Abeer, told Al Jazeera she was 36 weeks pregnant during the raid, slipped while fleeing inside the house, and her water broke during the panic.
Doctors induced an early delivery, and the couple’s son, Saleh, was born on April 22, according to Al Jazeera. Abeer said the baby remained in intensive care in Ramallah with a Pseudomonas bacterial infection and lung problems linked to ventilation.
Wider rise in attacks
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said it documented 1,659 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians and their property in May 2026, including 551 carried out only by settlers. It said violence was concentrated in Hebron, Ramallah and Al-Bireh, and Nablus.
The commission also recorded 436 attacks on Palestinian property in May, including 215 cases of vandalism or destruction. It said 124 attacks hit agricultural land, damaging 7,222 trees, including 3,317 olive trees.
UN data cited by Al Jazeera says at least 13 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank so far this year. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than 117 West Bank villages and communities have faced complete or partial displacement because of settler attacks.
Amnesty International said last week that Palestinian displacement in the occupied West Bank is part of a deliberate Israeli government policy of ethnic cleansing, according to Al Jazeera. The report also said Israel seized planning and construction authority over Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque from Palestinian authorities on Tuesday.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.