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A building used as a synagogue at a memorial site in the West Bank’s southern Hebron Hills was set on fire in an apparent arson attack on Saturday, fire officials said.
The synagogue, located at Ziv’s Lookout near the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Hever and the Palestinian village of Birin, was found with all of its contents burned, including Jewish prayer books and an empty Torah ark.
According to the fire and rescue services, firefighters found several car tires inside the building, which were believed to have been ignited and thrown inside.
“Findings at the scene indicate arson,” firefighters said in a statement.
The site, dedicated to two security guards – Yehuda Ben Yosef and Yoav Doron – killed in a friendly fire incident in 2003, has seen several incidents of vandalism and arson over the years.
The hills south of the city of Hebron in the West Bank regularly experience high tensions between settlers, Palestinians and the army. Palestinians regularly clash with settlers living in outposts – illegal under Israeli law – that dot the hilltops.
The damaged synagogue building at Ziv’s Lookout, near the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Hever and the Palestinian village of Birin, January 15, 2022. (Fire and Rescue Services)
Earlier this month, an Israeli tow truck contractor working for the police was injured after Palestinians threw rocks at his vehicle in the Masafer Yatta hills area.
The Israeli government has declared much of the area a military training area. With the exception of the main town, al-Tuwani, Israeli authorities maintain that most Palestinian hamlets in the area are therefore illegal.
In late September, dozens of Israelis entered al-Mufaqara, a small hamlet in the southern hills of Hebron, throwing stones, smashing windows and overturning cars. A three-year-old Palestinian boy was injured, reportedly when a rock thrown by a settler hit him in the head.
Aaron Boxerman contributed to this report.