Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural fields near Taybeh, east of Ramallah, overnight Tuesday, according to a report by Middle East Eye. No injuries were reported in the attack. The village has faced repeated settler attacks since the establishment of a nearby settlement, including the torching of the historic Church of Saint George last year.
The Middle East Eye report cites local sources describing a new overnight attack on fields near Taybeh, a historic Christian village in the Binyamin region. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, an earlier single-source account described settlers setting fields on fire, opening fire on homes, and throwing Molotov cocktails — the same incident appears to be reported with fresh detail in the Middle East Eye account, which explicitly states there were no injuries and focuses on the arson alone. The report does not cite independent corroboration. Taybeh has been repeatedly targeted by settlers since a new settlement outpost was established nearby, according to Middle East Eye. Last year, the village's historic Church of Saint George and its graveyard were set ablaze in an attack that drew rare condemnation from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee — a noted supporter of settlements. The arson and violence have continued despite that criticism. As The Zioneer also reported earlier today, Monday evening saw a separate incident nearby: Palestinian arsonists set a fire north of Taybeh, and when Israeli volunteers arrived to extinguish it, they were pelted with stones. The Binyamin Council said the mayor of Taybeh then falsely claimed settlers had started that fire — an allegation the council rejects as a libel. That incident is a distinct event from Tuesday night's settler arson. The picture on the ground in the Taybeh area remains contested, with both sides reporting attacks.
2 developments
- StrongReport: Israeli settlers attack houses, set fire to land near Jalud, southeast of Nablus
- DevelopingUnverified report: Jewish settlers set fire to village of Urif near Nablus
- DevelopingReport: Jews set fire to land near Shavei Shomron, northwest of Nablus
- DevelopingArab reports accuse Jews of setting fires near Ramallah
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Open-source intake