'Do not stand by': Israeli army vows to crack down on settler attacks

Violence in occupied West Bank has escalated with arson attack on mosque

Palestinians inspect the damage at the Hajja Hamida after it was vandalised by Israeli settlers. AFP

Israeli troops have been told to "act as much as possible" to prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank, in what would be a rare crackdown.

The orders blame a "fringe group of criminals and anarchists" for a flurry of violence in the occupied West Bank, where a mosque was vandalised and set on fire on Thursday. Palestinians say the right-wing Israeli government tacitly encourages such attacks.

Masked settlers attacked Palestinian villages and set fire to cars in other outbreaks of violence this week, before clashing with Israeli soldiers sent to quell the unrest. Israel's President Isaac Herzog has condemned the attacks.

Settlers have been involved in more than 1,000 attacks across the West Bank this year, according to UN figures, with abuses rarely punished by Israeli authorities. Settling in occupied land is considered illegal under international treaties.

Israeli media published a leaked letter to troops from Col Ariel Gonen, the commander of an Israeli brigade in the West Bank, telling them to step in. 'We have witnessed a sharp and significant increase in the number and severity of nationalist violent incidents," the letter said.

"The directive to soldiers and commanders is clear: Do not stand by. Every soldier and commander is required to act as much as possible to prevent acts of violence and nationalist crime."

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian businesses in West Bank

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The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said it held the Israeli government "fully responsible" for Thursday's attack on Hajjeh Hamideh Mosque. The wave of violence "is supported and protected by Israeli policies that aim to displace Palestinians", the ministry said.

It said it "held the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for this crime and its repercussions, emphasising that the continued impunity of colonists constitutes a clear encouragement for the repetition of such attacks".

Intruders at the mosque in Deir Istiya set fire to copies of the Quran and daubed graffiti on the walls. Messages read "we are not afraid", "we will revenge again" and appeared to refer to an Israeli general who denounced the violence.

President Herzog described the attacks on Wednesday as “shocking and serious.” Mr Herzog’s position, while largely ceremonial, is meant to serve as a moral compass and unifying force for the country.

The violence drew the attention of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a staunch defender of Israel, who said "there's some concern" that the attacks could undermine the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal.

The Israeli military separately said on Thursday it had arrested more than 50 people in raids around Bethlehem, in the West Bank, which it said were linked to Hamas. It said militants there "planned to carry out shooting attacks" against Israelis and security personnel.

Lior Amihai, Executive Director of Peace Now, an Israeli organisation that monitors settlements and violence in the West Bank, said "settler terror is breaking records" currently.

"Instead of fighting terrorism and arresting the perpetrators, the government has turned the hilltop terrorists into its operational arm on the ground – paving the way for de facto annexation," he added.