Palestine’s Supreme Fatwa Council on Thursday condemned the escalating “systematic attacks” by illegal Israeli settlers targeting holy sites and places of worship after two mosques were burned in Nablus and Tulkarm.
Racist slogans were also written on the walls of the two mosques, the council said in a statement.
“Burning mosques is a systematic crime targeting houses of worship and Islamic holy sites,” it said.
“Such attacks come as part of Israel’s policy of abuse and repression and violations against religious rituals across the Palestinian territories,” it added.
“The attacks are part of dangerous and systematic occupation policies aimed at targeting the Palestinian presence and religious rights,” the council said.
“Israeli crimes are horrific and have reached a terrible level of brutality, ugliness and disregard for lives and property,” it added.
“The Israeli army and police are providing full protection to illegal settlers who spread corruption on the land, provoking the feelings of all Muslims,” the council said.
The council also denounced Israel’s continued and increasing incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying Israeli authorities have imposed strict measures at the mosque’s gates and around the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, deployed heavily across its courtyards and prevented worshippers from entering.
At the same time, Israeli authorities allow illegal settlers to intensify incursions into Al-Aqsa’s courtyards and perform Talmudic rituals inside the mosque, the council said.
“These violations are part of systematic plans to impose the temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque as a fait accompli,” it said.
The council called this “a dangerous assault on the historical and legal status quo” at the mosque, saying it reflects “the level of racism of the occupier against our people and their holy sites.”
Earlier Sunday, illegal Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques in separate attacks across the occupied West Bank, targeting one in the village of Kur, south of Tulkarem, and another under construction in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, according to Palestinian officials.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said illegal Israeli settlers stormed the village of Kur and set fire to the mosque, causing partial damage to the building and its interior.
On Friday, illegal Israeli settlers, backed by the army, attacked the Palestinian town of Tell near Nablus, killing four Palestinians. Two Israelis were also killed in a shooting during the confrontation, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,182 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, injured thousands and detained around 24,000, according to official Palestinian figures.
