No arrests have been reported after Israeli settlers allegedly set fire to a vehicle scrapyard in the Palestinian village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, destroying more than 100 vehicles.
According to Palestinian officials, the blaze also destroyed 10 cars parked outside nearby homes, a repair workshop, storage facilities, and dozens of streetlight poles and olive trees. The damage was estimated at more than 1 million shekels ($315,000), WAFA reported.
Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, a village south of Nablus, is surrounded by the Israeli settlements of Eli and Ma’ale Levona. The UN considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law and an obstacle to establishing an independent Palestinian state.
The Israeli military said troops had been dispatched to the village following reports of arson and were searching for suspects. It added that police and forensic investigators would enter the village to collect evidence once the fire was extinguished.
🚨مشاهد من إحراق المستوطنين موقف للسيارات في اللبن الشرقية جنوب نابلس #فلسطين #اسرائیل https://t.co/Gvajjc6s6h
Settler violence has surged since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza broke out in October 2023. On Wednesday, Israeli police arrested four settlers, including two teenagers, over a September 29 riot in the West Bank village of Jalud. The suspects allegedly tried to prevent Israeli troops from allowing a displaced Palestinian family to return to their home.
RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij reports from the scene of Wednesday’s fire.
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