West Bank fires link Israeli and Palestinian sites
Retaliatory arson hit vehicles near Mitzpe Shalem and Beita on Monday, continuing a week of clashes in the territory.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Violence flared across the West Bank on Monday, November 9, as residents on both sides set fire to vehicles and equipment in a cycle of retaliation. Army Radio reported that the incidents connected separate communities near Nablus and the Dead Sea through a chain of aggressive responses.
The sequence started when Palestinian rioters burned an Israeli vehicle near Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem, a Jewish settlement overlooking the Dead Sea. In reaction, the Israel Defense Forces imposed a curfew in the Palestinian village of Azzun, located in the Kalkilya Governorate.
Jewish rioters then moved to the area around Beita, a village close to Nablus. They set fire to construction equipment and vehicles in a commercial zone. Army Radio identified these fires as direct retaliation for the earlier destruction of property near Mitzpe Shalem.
The report noted that fires were documented at multiple locations during the Monday incidents. As of Tuesday, November 10, authorities had not announced any arrests related to the attacks. The IDF had also not released a statement specifically addressing the arson.
These events follow a pattern established earlier in November. Last week, Arab residents of Beit Ummar burned an Israeli vehicle near the Gafen Ami settler farm. Army Radio described that act as a response to a previous incursion by Jewish rioters, who had also targeted Palestinian-owned vehicles.
Separately from the arson, the IDF conducted an operation near the village of Burqa overnight on Monday. The military stated its goal was to stop stone-throwing and terror incidents in the area.
Soldiers identified several Palestinians preparing to throw stones at a highway used by Israelis. The IDF said previous stone-throwing attacks had been recorded on that road. Soldiers opened fire to neutralize the threat, the military said.
