Arabic place-name; recent West Bank developments
The West Bank is facing a surge in settler violence as international attention mounts. US Ambassador Huckabee has met Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya, calling for accountability and stating there is no plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza. Britain, France and Canada announce sanctions on settlement-linked activity, signaling growing international pressure on Israel. The political landscape in Israel remains unsettled as elections approach.
Eight Muslim-majority states have condemned arson attacks on two West Bank mosques, attributing responsibility to Israel as settlers have ignited a wave of violence in the occupied territory. Reports describe scorched walls, graffiti including calls for vengeance, and damage to religious sites. The incidents follow a period of rising settler violence since the Gaza war began in 2023.
Houthis have launched repeated drone, missile and naval strikes that have damaged Yemen’s Mocha port, killed dozens and forced the port’s suspension. The group has claimed a drone hit on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery and renewed attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al‑Mandeb, while Yemeni government forces have mounted counter‑attacks across multiple fronts.
Residents in Masafer Yatta and West Bank villages have reported repeated settler attacks, property damage and soldiers escorting or standing by during incidents. Witnesses have described settlers grazing livestock in homes' gardens, arson, and assaults near mosques. Humanitarian groups have recorded high demolition and displacement rates since October 2023.
Settlers have besieged three Palestinian homes in Qusra near Nablus, cutting off water and power. US Ambassador Huckabee has publicly condemned the violence as "disgusting" and warned of accountability, while Israel weighs moving civilian policing into the occupied West Bank. The UN and Palestinian authorities condemn the siege as a tactic of displacement.