UK condemns arson attacks by masked Israeli settlers on town in West Bank

 The UK condemned Israeli settler arson attacks on the town of Bruqin, in the occupied West Bank, where 150 masked settlers set Palestinian homes and cars ablaze on Thursday evening. Palestinians were injured during the attacks.

“UK condemns the latest appalling settler attacks in Bruqin,” the British Consulate General in Jerusalem said on X.

“Israel has an obligation to protect the civilian Palestinian population in the West Bank. Those responsible for extremist settler violence must be held to account.”

The Consulate General said that the UK has applied further sanctions on individual settlers, illegal settlements and organisations supporting violence against Palestinian communities.

“The UK will continue to act against those who are carrying out heinous abuses of human rights,” the social media post said.

The fires led to large-scale blazes across parts of the town. The Israeli military did not stop the attacks, according to Wafa news.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported at least eight burn cases as residents sustained burns trying to put out the fires.

UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported at least 28 settler attacks that resulted in casualties, property damage or both, between 13 and 19 May.