Israeli Settlers Vandalize West Bank Mosque

Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases on the walls and setting a fire at the entrance, Palestinian officials reported.

Worshippers arriving for the first prayers of the day at the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, near Nablus, discovered the damage along with a still-smoldering fire that filled the air with black smoke and blackened the mosque's ornate doorway. Broken glass littered the area, and the door had been forced open. "I was shocked when I opened the door," said Munir Ramdan, a resident living nearby. "The fire had been burning here in the area, the glass was broken here, and the door was broken."

Security camera footage captured two individuals approaching the mosque carrying a can of gasoline and spray paint before fleeing minutes later, according to Ramdan. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Religious Affairs confirmed the attack and noted that settlers had vandalized or targeted 45 mosques in the West Bank over the previous year.

The incident occurred during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection, which many Muslims view as a time of mercy and...