Daijiworld Media Network- Huwara

Huwara, Nov 21: Tensions flared once again in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers allegedly set fire to a large vehicle scrapyard in Huwara on Thursday night, marking yet another alarming rise in settler-led attacks in the region. The incident unfolded even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security meeting to address the surge in settler violence.

According to eyewitnesses and reports from WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, a group of settlers stormed the scrapyard in northern Huwara and set multiple vehicles ablaze. Dramatic visuals obtained by CNN show flames engulfing rows of cars as firefighters battled towering plumes of thick black smoke spreading through the night sky.

Mohammed Dalal, the owner of the scrapyard, said more than a dozen settlers descended on the property, smashing cars and igniting the fire. No one was present when the attack occurred, but Dalal estimates that nearly 150 vehicles were burnt or severely damaged. Calling the scrapyard his family’s only source of income, he said: “I have children in university, I have grandchildren, a family — we all depend on this place. All I can do is ask God to compensate us.”

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that several cars were set ablaze in Huwara. Soldiers were dispatched to the area after receiving reports of Israeli civilians throwing stones and destroying property, but searches yielded no suspects. Authorities reported no injuries.

The attack came hours after Netanyahu convened a meeting to discuss rising settler violence, which has intensified in recent weeks. Though the outcome of the meeting remains unclear, the Prime Minister had earlier condemned such assaults, calling the perpetrators “a small, extremist group.”

Despite the condemnation, rights groups point to policy decisions that have weakened enforcement. Last year, Defense Minister Israel Katz halted the use of administrative detention against Israeli settlers — a tool still widely used against Palestinians — limiting the ability of security forces to preemptively detain suspected offenders.

The Huwara attack is the second major arson incident in just days. Earlier this week, settlers torched Palestinian homes and vehicles near Bethlehem. Last week, another large-scale arson targeted agricultural land in the northern West Bank, destroying trucks, sheds and equipment.

Huwara has long been a flashpoint. In June 2023, settlers carried out a violent rampage through the town, killing one Palestinian man and injuring hundreds in an assault later described by a former IDF chief as a “pogrom.”

With violence deepening, Palestinian residents fear further attacks, while international observers warn that unchecked settler aggression risks pushing the region into an even more volatile phase.