Six Israeli settlers charged over West Bank mosque attack

Israeli prosecutors have filed six indictments against settlers for terrorism, arson, sabotage and violent rioting after a coordinated attack on the Al‑Ras Mosque in Deir Dibwan, West Bank, on June 14. Masked attackers entered the village carrying flammable substances, tear‑gas canisters and knives, set fire to vegetation and vehicles, damaged the mosque while worshippers were inside and threw stones at homes. No fatalities were reported. Five of the defendants are minors and one is 18 years old; they were charged in the Jerusalem District Court with racially‑motivated assault and property damage.

The incident occurs amid a sharp rise in settler violence, which the United Nations says averages about six attacks per day in 2026. The same day, additional raids were reported in villages such as Al‑Maniya, Burqa and Ramallah. Western nations including Australia, Canada, France, Norway, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have imposed coordinated sanctions on networks that fund or enable settler violence, a move dismissed by Israel’s finance minister as a “badge of honour”.

Police said, “Six indictments were filed for acts of terrorism, arson, sabotage and violent rioting in the village of Deir Dibwan out of a nationalistic motive.” The charges mark a rare legal response to the surge in extremist settler activity in the occupied territories.