Illegal Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian home in West Bank

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Illegal Israeli settlers set fire early Saturday to a Palestinian home in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

A group of illegal settlers stormed the outskirts of the village and torched the one-story home, causing parts of the house to burn, local sources told the agency.

Israeli forces raided the area and opened fire at residents who gathered near the scene, though no injuries were reported, the agency said.

The UN warned on Friday of a sharp rise in illegal Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, marking the highest monthly toll in October in nearly two decades, with 264 settler attacks recorded.

“That's the highest monthly toll in nearly two decades of record keeping, averaging more than eight incidents every single day since 2006,” UN spokesperson Farhan Haq reported, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

According to the official Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli forces and illegal settlers carried out 766 attacks against Palestinians, their homes, property, and sources of livelihood across the West Bank in October alone.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.