Israeli forces step up West Bank raids, Arab states condemn settler attacks

Israeli forces intensified military operations across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Monday, carrying out raids in at least 20 towns and villages, demolishing homes and arresting dozens of Palestinians, as several Arab states and the Arab League condemned escalating settler attacks.

According to reports, Israeli forces raided the Jabal Salman area in Beita, south of Nablus, demolished structures in Nilin near Ramallah, and entered Arrabeh in Jenin with military bulldozers.

Five Palestinians were detained in Deir al-Ghusun near Tulkarem, while four others were arrested during raids in Balata camp and Asira al-Shamaliya in Nablus. Raids were also reported in Deir Jarir, Jalbon, Kafr Qaddum, Tal, Burqa, Beit Furik, Anabta, Aktaba, Qalqilya, Arroub camp and Beit Ummar.

Reports also said Israeli soldiers stopped an ambulance transporting a pregnant woman from Qaryut to a hospital in Nablus, after which her condition deteriorated, and she suffered a miscarriage.

Settler attacks were also reported in the Abu Fuzaa encampment near Taybeh, east of Ramallah, while settlers released cattle into olive groves in Al-Burj village, south of Hebron, damaging agricultural land.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to world leaders, the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council to take urgent action to stop Israeli military operations and settler violence.

Several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, condemned the attacks, including the reported burning of a mosque in Tulkarem. The Arab League also issued a statement warning that the situation was approaching a "moment of explosion" and called for international intervention.

Spain urged Israel to reverse its settlement expansion policies and prevent settler violence against Palestinians.

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, described the settler attacks as "pogroms against defenceless civilians."

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that military officials had described the situation in the West Bank as "extremely dangerous and volatile", with some officers expressing concern over increasing settler violence.

According to figures cited by the Arab League, nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. The Arab League also said more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza during the ongoing war.