Illegal Israeli paramilitary colonizers burnt the Al-Falah Mosque in Biddya, west of Salfit, in the occupied West Bank’s central part, at dawn Thursday.
The attackers infiltrated the mosque’s perimeter, ignited parts of the building, and scrawled racist slogans on the walls of a nearby Palestinian home.
Local residents rushed to extinguish the flames, preventing the mosque’s complete destruction, though damage was sustained to carpets and interior sections.
Salfit has become a focal point of escalating colonizer violence, with this latest attack following a series of assaults on religious sites, including the burning of the Hajjah Hamida Mosque earlier this month.
Colonizers, emboldened by the protection or indifference of Israeli occupation forces, leave Palestinian communities vulnerable to repeated violations.
The targeting of mosques and churches is part of a broader campaign of intimidation. Palestinian officials have documented dozens of attacks on religious sites, describing them as deliberate attempts to erase cultural and spiritual identity.
The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs condemned the arson as a crime against Islamic sanctities and a violation of international conventions that guarantee freedom of worship.
Over the past two years, colonizer and military violence have intensified across the West Bank. More than a thousand Palestinians have been killed, thousands injured, and tens of thousands detained or abducted.
In Salfit and neighboring governorates, olive groves, homes, and places of worship have been systematically targeted. International organizations, including the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have repeatedly warned that such attacks constitute grave breaches of international law.
Local councils and Palestinian ministries are urging urgent international action to protect religious sites and hold perpetrators accountable. Without enforcement of international legal obligations, residents fear that attacks on mosques and churches will continue unchecked, deepening the cycle of impunity and erasure of Palestinian sanctities.
