West Bank: mosque burned, settler terror thrives with impunity

ByMuhammad

In Mikhmas, between Ramallah and Jerusalem, Palestinians had to save their mosque from the flames themselves. On the night of October 13 to 14, Israeli settlers set fire to the place of worship and a vehicle, according to testimonies collected by AFP. Hebrew inscriptions were also left on the walls. Residents intervened with fire extinguishers. Behind the burned carpets and blackened walls, an entire community is struck, even in its place of prayer. The Israeli army announces an investigation. Once again. But what is this announcement worth when settler attacks take place alongside soldiers or before their eyes, without them protecting the Palestinians? Human Rights Watch documents these facts, as well as the financial, material and legal support provided by the Israeli state to the settlers responsible for the violence. Without prosecutions or effective sanctions, the promise of an investigation remains a facade response.

This violence expresses a racist and supremacist logic: imposing settler domination and pushing Palestinians to leave. Burning their places of worship, attacking their homes, destroying their property makes their daily lives unbearable. Four former senior Israeli officers have themselves denounced “pure and simple pogroms” aimed at emptying territories of their Palestinian population.

Faced with this, Western responses are not up to the task. The European Union took targeted sanctions against settlers and organizations, but they were not enough to stem the violence. Donald Trump did worse: in January 2025, he removed the American system of sanctions against violent settlers established under Joe Biden. Removing this pressure reinforces their feeling of impunity.

The Israeli government can thus continue to rely on the absence of consequences commensurate with its actions. As long as his supporters do not impose a real political and economic cost on him, why would he change his policy? Everything suggests that this atrocious violence will continue. The Palestinians do not need another statement of concern or yet another promise of investigation. They need to be protected, and for those who terrorize them, as well as those who support them, to finally be held accountable.

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Muhammad

Muhammad is a visionary thinker and passionate writer who has been contributing to Understanding Islam for several years.