The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for armed Israeli settler groups carrying out attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to be designated terrorist organizations.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry appealed to the international community and the United Nations, calling for deterrent sanctions to be imposed on the groups and the parties supporting them.
Mosque and Palestinian property targeted in Mikhmas
The statement said that Sultan Ibrahim Mosque, Palestinian-owned properties and olive trees were burned in the town of Mikhmas, northeast of East Jerusalem. It said racist and threatening phrases were written on the mosque's walls.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack targeted Islamic holy sites and the presence of Palestinians in the area. The ministry said the incident was part of settler attacks that it said had increased in different parts of the occupied West Bank.
Palestine calls for international investigation
The ministry said the attacks on mosques, attempts to set them on fire and the writing of racist or inflammatory phrases on their walls demonstrated the danger posed by the racist ideology adopted by some settler groups.
Palestinian authorities called for those responsible for burning Sultan Ibrahim Mosque and Palestinian-owned properties to be held accountable. They also called on the international community, the United Nations and relevant organizations to take legal and binding measures to protect Palestinians, their holy sites and their property.
The statement alleged that the Israeli government provides protection to settlers and that this has allowed attacks against Palestinians, their property and their holy sites to continue. It argued that this strengthens a policy of impunity and called for settler attacks to be halted and those responsible to be prosecuted.
Twenty-three attacks recorded in the West Bank
According to data from the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, 23 attacks were carried out by settlers and the Israeli army in the West Bank from the beginning of 2023 through October 11, including the burning or attempted burning of Palestinian mosques.
Palestinians warn that settler attacks are laying the groundwork for the formal annexation of the West Bank and weakening the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in line with relevant United Nations resolutions.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said ending the Israeli occupation, dismantling the settlements and removing settlers from Palestinian territories were the foundation for protecting the Palestinian people and their rights through ending colonial practices.
