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UAE strongly condemns Israeli settlers setting West Bank mosques on fire
The Emirates affirmed that this constitutes as a provocative act, an incitement against Muslims and an act of extremism
- PUBLISHED: Mon 27 Jul 2026, 12:55 PM
- By:
- WAM
The UAE strongly condemned the attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against villages in the occupied West Bank, the latest of which involved setting fire to a mosque in Tulkarm.
The Emirates affirmed that this constitutes as a provocative act, an incitement against Muslims, and an act of extremism.
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Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank early on Sunday, setting fire to two mosques and scrawling graffiti on buildings, Palestinian officials said.
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In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) warned against the continuous assaults by settlers and called on the Israeli government to assume full responsibility, condemn these practices, and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The UAE stressed that failure to act will be seen as tacit approval that will only further deepen the cycle of hatred, racism and instability.
The authority also called on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities to end the ongoing Israeli violations and to prevent fuelling the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the region.
It stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East to reach comprehensive and just peace, as well as end illegal practices that undermine the two-state solution.
Settler attacks
The attacks followed an incident on Friday when four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers — one of whom acted as a security coordinator for a nearby Israeli settlement — were killed when a crowd of Israeli settlers, some armed, approached the Palestinian village of Tal, southwest of Nablus.
During the incident, villagers came out of their homes to confront the settlers and a stand-off ensued, with video appearing to show one of the Palestinians grabbing a settler's weapon. Palestinian local authorities say the settlers provoked the violence. The Israeli military said shots were fired by both sides.
The incident was the latest in a series of clashes this year involving settlers in which dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded, according to figures from the UN and the Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing an election in October, ordered a major security operation against what he described as terrorism against Israeli civilians, reinforcing units in the West Bank and cancelling leave.
Members of his government, including the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, have called for annexation of the West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Settlers carried out a series of attacks on Palestinian villages in different areas of the West Bank in the early hours of the morning, Palestinian officials said.
Abdel Azim Wadi, head of the village council in Qusra, southeast of Nablus, said settlers had torched a newly completed mosque in his village early on Sunday.
"The mosque was in its final stage and was ready to receive worshippers. It had already been furnished with couches. They set it on fire and spray-painted Hebrew slogans on its walls," he told Reuters by telephone. Among the graffiti were messages including "Jewish revenge" and the name of one of the Israelis killed near Tal.
Inputs from Reuters