Israeli settlers set fire to West Bank mosque, leave graffiti calling for ‘revenge for Benayahu’

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the West Bank village of Kusra on Saturday night, spray-painting 'Revenge for Benayahu' and a Star of David. Five vehicles were torched in Beitillu, and tractors were burned near Khirbet Abu Falah. Two Palestinians were beaten and hospitalized. The attack followed Friday's deadly shooting that killed Benayahu Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra. MK Ahmad Tibi condemned the act as 'Jewish terrorism.' OC Central Command barred Palestinian laborers from Israeli communities in the West Bank.

On Saturday night, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the West Bank village of Kusra, spray-painting 'Revenge for Benayahu' and a Star of David on the entrance wall. The attack is suspected to be a nationalist crime in response to Friday's deadly shooting that killed Benayahu Mellet, a local emergency response squad member, and Maj. Yuval Ezra, an IDF officer. In addition, five vehicles were set ablaze in Beitillu, and tractors were torched near Khirbet Abu Falah. Two Palestinians were beaten and evacuated to a hospital. MK Ahmad Tibi condemned the act as 'Jewish terrorism' and 'Jewish supremacy.' In response, OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth barred Palestinian laborers from entering Israeli communities in the West Bank, with exceptions for industrial zones. The IDF assesses Friday's attack as spontaneous but notes a serious breach in coordination.