Israeli settlers torch Bedouin homes in East Jerusalem village

Israeli settlers have set fire to Palestinian homes in the Bedouin village of Khallat al-Sidra on Wednesday night near the town of Mukhmas, northeast of Jerusalem.

The gangs attacked the village and torched several homes after earlier blocking its only access road, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing the Jerusalem Governorate.

Israeli forces were later reported to have entered the village with several military vehicles.

The incident follows a series of repeated settler attacks on the native Palestinian community, including assaults that have injured residents and foreign pro-Palestine solidarity activists.

Previous attacks have included the destruction of homes and barns, the vandalism and seizure of solar panels and surveillance cameras, and the burning of houses and vehicles. Israeli forces have also reportedly forced several foreign activists to leave the village.

On Thursday morning, settlers also attacked the al-Ma’azi Bedouin community near the town of Jaba', northeast of Jerusalem, according to WAFA.

The Jerusalem Governorate said the community was targeted in a further assault, although no confrontations were reported.

Citing local sources, WAFA said the repeated attacks on the al-Ma'azi community were aimed at seizing hundreds of dunums of land to expand the Adam settlement and connect it with the Binyamin settlement, creating territorial continuity between the two.

According to the Palestinian news agency, the al-Ma'azi community is home to around 200 people, including about 40 families and 70 children under the age of 18, many of whom live in harsh conditions without access to basic services.

Palestinian media and activists warn that Bedouin communities around Jerusalem are facing sustained attacks by settlers and Israeli forces as part of a broader policy aimed at displacing Palestinian residents to facilitate settlement expansion.

WAFA reported that these policies have enabled settlers to seize hundreds of thousands of dunums of land previously inhabited by Palestinian communities and to establish at least 114 new settlement outposts.

Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are widely considered illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace.

According to the United Nations and human rights organisations, more than 33 Palestinian Bedouin communities have been displaced since the outbreak of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in 2023, across 66 locations in the West Bank, resulting in the forced transfer of 2,373 residents.