A man clears the rubble as writing in Hebrew on the wall reads “revenge, regards to the arrested, people, wake up,” at one of the West Bank mosques that were vandalized and partly set on fire by Israeli settlers overnight, in the village of Jiljilya, north of Ramallah, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP)
Arab News
- Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques in West Bank villages on Wednesday and the Grand Mosque in Jiljiliya had graffiti written on the walls in Hebrew
RIYADH: The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim and Arab countries condemned continued and escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.
The foreign ministers of the Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, and Pakistan condemned recent attacks on the Grand Mosque in the village of Jiljiliya and Al-Farouq Mosque in the village of Mazari Al-Nubani, north of Ramallah.
Israeli settlers set fire to the mosques in the West Bank villages on Wednesday and the Grand Mosque in Jiljiliya had graffiti written on the walls in Hebrew.
The incident came during a period of increased attacks against Palestinian communities by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
The ministers affirmed that these attacks constitute a clear violation of the sanctity of places of worship and religious sites, as well as of international law.
The Ministers affirmed their absolute rejection of the attacks committed by Israeli settlers, as well as the continuation of unilateral and illegal Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian territory which fuel instability, violence and extremism, and undermine international efforts aimed at achieving peace.
They said that they held Israel — the occupying power — responsible for these attacks and renewed their call on the international community to oblige Israel to stop its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, end its illegal practices, stop settler violence, hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable, and ensure that they do not escape punishment.
The ministers reaffirmed their firm solidarity with the Palestinian people, and their steadfast support for fulfilling their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost of which is their right to self-determination, and the embodiment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They reaffirmed their support for all efforts aimed at ending Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, based on the two-state solution, and in accordance with international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
source https://www.arabnews.com/node/2647720/saudi-arabia
Categories: Arab World, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, War, War crimes