The Media Line: Settlers Torch West Bank Mosque, Graffiti Targets Huckabee, Journalist  

Settlers Torch West Bank Mosque, Graffiti Targets Huckabee, Journalist  

By The Media Line Staff   

Suspected Jewish extremists set fire to a mosque overnight Monday in the West Bank village of Bazaria, northwest of Nablus, and sprayed threatening graffiti targeting an Israeli military correspondent and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.   

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said forces were dispatched to the village after reports and footage of the arson and graffiti emerged. “The suspects fled before the forces arrived, and no injuries were reported,” the military said. The IDF condemned the attack, stating: “These events harm the residents of the area and security stability, and divert the attention of security forces from thwarting and defense activities.”    

Among the messages sprayed on the mosque’s walls was a threat against Kan News military correspondent Roy Sharon, who had previously posted on social media condemning “hilltop youth,”—young settlers linked to unauthorized West Bank outposts. One inscription read, “Roy Sharon, look out for your car.” Kan News called the threats an attempt “to intimidate a journalist because of his work” and said they “will not succeed and will not deter Roy or the Kan News team from continuing to provide reliable and professional coverage.”   

Other graffiti addressed US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, reading “Regards from the terrorists”—an apparent reference to his past remarks about Jewish rioters in the West Bank. Huckabee responded that “it is truly sad that someone would take pride in being a terrorist,” adding that “a small group that damages the reputation of 99.9% of Israelis who live by both civil law and the Torah does not represent the Jewish people or the rest of Israel.”   

Hours after the mosque attack, police announced they had arrested eight Israeli suspects overnight in Judea as part of an investigation by the inter-organizational headquarters of the Judea and Samaria District. The suspects, aged 16 to 20 and residents of the West Bank and central Israel, are suspected in a string of arson and assault incidents in the southern Hebron Hills. Police also seized three vehicles allegedly used in the attacks and said they intend to seek an extension of the suspects’ detention in court.