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Palestinian-US Officials Discuss Tensions with Israel

Israeli soldiers combing the vicinity of the Elon Moreh settlement near Nablus (AFP)
Israeli soldiers combing the vicinity of the Elon Moreh settlement near Nablus (AFP)
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Palestinian-US Officials Discuss Tensions with Israel

Israeli soldiers combing the vicinity of the Elon Moreh settlement near Nablus (AFP)
Israeli soldiers combing the vicinity of the Elon Moreh settlement near Nablus (AFP)

The Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, met in Ramallah with the US Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs, Hady Amr, to discuss the recent field tensions with Israel.

In a statement by the German News Agency, Sheikh said that he briefed Amr on the latest political and field developments and the Israeli escalatory measures against the Palestinian people.

Sheikh stressed the need for an effective and influential American intervention in placing pressure on Israel and forcing it to stop its escalatory measures against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian territories witnessed a decrease in tension during the past two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu banned Israelis from entering al-Aqsa Mosque for the last ten days of Ramadan Month.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said the Israeli authorities had tightened entry restrictions for Palestinians at al-Aqsa Mosque and its gates.

Tensions grew after the Israeli police stormed al-Aqsa Mosque, followed by the launch of rockets on Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel responded with several strikes.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli “oppressive and racist” tight restrictions imposed against Palestinian Christians, which aim to limit the number of Christians’ access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City during the Holy Light ceremony on Saturday.

The Palestinian ministry in a statement slammed the Israeli measures as a collective punishment that targets the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and its holy sites, denouncing them as a gross encroachment on the city's legal and historical status quo.

On Wednesday, the churches of Jerusalem complained of Israeli restrictions on those celebrating the Holy Saturday, which has been taking place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for nearly 2,000 years in the Holy City.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources reported 17 Palestinian operations during the past 24 hours against Israeli targets in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including three shootings, the throwing of Molotov cocktails, and several clashes that broke out between Palestinian shooters and the Israeli army in Tubas in the West Bank, without causing any casualties.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said that the Israeli army arrested 12 Palestinians following raids in separate areas of the West Bank governorates.

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Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Mosque in West Bank in Latest Violent Attack on Palestinian Villages

Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Mosque in West Bank in Latest Violent Attack on Palestinian Villages

Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and vandalized property in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday, the head of the Palestinian village council said, as Israeli police pledged to investigate the episode.

The West Bank has seen a surge in violence by Jewish settlers during the war in Gaza, and rights groups say the Israeli army often turns a blind eye.

Nasfat al-Khafash, the head of the council in Marda where the attack occurred, said a group of settlers arrived early in the morning, setting the mosque on fire and scrawling hateful messages on it.

Associated Press video showed spray-painted stars of David and the words in Hebrew, “the mosque will burn, the temple will be built,” an apparent reference to the ultranationalist desire to establish a Third Temple for Jews in Jerusalem at the holiest and most contested site in the Holy Land.

“These slogans reflect their upbringing and hatred towards Palestinians and Arabs,” said al-Khafash, adding that the settlers received “full support” from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — the furthest-right government in Israel’s history.

Israel’s police, military and Shin Bet internal security agency said they were investigating the episode. “We view the incident seriously and will act with determination to bring those responsible to justice,” they said in a statement.

The UN’s humanitarian office said settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during this fall's olive harvest season “at least tripled” in 2024 compared to the each of the last three years.

In the West Bank and east Jerusalem, more than 700,000 Jewish settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the 3 million Palestinians in the territory live under Israeli military law.