Fire officials said a building used as a synagogue at a memorial site in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills was burned in an apparent arson Saturday.
The synagogue was located in the West Bank settlement of Male Hevar and the lookout of Ziv near the Palestinian village of Birin, with its entire contents burnt, including Jewish prayer books and an empty Torah ark.
According to fire and rescue services, firefighters found several car tires that apparently caught fire inside the building and were thrown inside.
“Findings found on the spot indicate arson,” fire services said in a statement.
The site dedicated to Yehuda Ben Yosef and Yoav Doron – two security guards killed in a friendly fire incident in 2003 – has seen several incidents of vandalism and arson over the years.
The rolling hills south of the West Bank city of Hebron regularly see high tensions between settlers, Palestinians and the military. Palestinians regularly clash with settlers who live in the outpost – illegal under Israeli law – which is on top of the hill.
Damaged synagogue building at Jives Lookout near the West Bank settlement of Male Hevar and the Palestinian village of Birin on January 15, 2022. (Fire and Rescue Services)
Earlier this month, an Israeli tow truck contractor working for police was injured Palestinians threw stones On his vehicle in the Massafar Yatta area of the hills.
The Israeli government has declared most of the area a military training zone. With the exception of the main city, al-Tuwani, Israeli authorities argue that most Palestinian villages in the region are illegal.
In late September, dozens of Israelis entered al-Mufqara, a small village in the South Hebron Hills. Throwing stones, breaking windows and ramming on cars. A three-year-old Palestinian boy was injured, reportedly when a stone thrown by a settler hit him on the head.
Aaron Boxerman contributed to this report.