Israeli Settlers Burn West Bank Welcome Sign; Police Arrest Ten

Israeli settlers burned a welcome sign at the entrance of Burqa, a village east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday.

Sayel Kanaan, head of the Burqa council, stated that settlers ignited vehicle tires on the sign's stonework, causing extensive damage before residents extinguished the blaze. This incident occurred amid an increase in violent attacks against Palestinians in October. Settlers also attacked farmers from Burqa attempting to cultivate olive trees, leaving a 47-year-old with head injuries over the weekend.

The Palestine News Agency reported 647 settler attacks since late September, including olive theft, tree cutting or burning, and crop seizure. Earlier, Israeli police detained 10 people in a raid against settlers following a weekend of violence in the West Bank. These arrests came after attacks on US photojournalist Heidi Levine and a group of European diplomats and Palestinians.

Levine reported being knocked down, kicked, and beaten by masked Israeli men on Friday while covering the olive harvest, sustaining broken vertebrae, a ripped finger requiring surgery, and lacerations. The day after, militants armed with sticks and iron bars attacked European diplomats and Palestinians outside Taybeh, assaulting a French mayor, smashing a car window, and severely injuring a young Palestinian man.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned these accounts, referring to an alleged attack on Levine and unproven allegations regarding the diplomats. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, European nations, and The Washington Post editor Matt Murray reacted to the attacks and Netanyahu's response. Jibril Rajoub, secretary general of the Fatah faction's central committee, stated in Cairo that settler attacks risk an explosion in the West Bank, advocating for peaceful confrontation.

Amnesty International called on countries to impose sanctions on Israeli officials, ban trade with illegal settlements, and halt weapons supply to Israel. UN experts urged Israel to protect West Bank olive farmers. More than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, which are considered illegal under international law, surrounded by approximately three million Palestinians.