‘Burn in hell’: Israeli settlers spread hate through graffiti, attacks

What Happened

In Jalud, a Palestinian village 27km south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, black graffiti on a school facade read “Revenge,” “Burn in hell,” and “Get out of the village.” Residents and officials said the defacement accompanies violent settler attacks: Jalud has been subjected to five major assaults since last January, the latest on August 4 when settlers burned vehicles and sprayed racist slogans on a residential building. Separately, in Qusra last month, settlers set fire to a mosque and sprayed slogans and a Star of David on its walls.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The graffiti and accompanying attacks reflect an escalation in organised settler violence and an ideological drive toward Palestinian displacement, with slogans such as “Death to Arabs” described by researcher Azzam Abu al-Adas as an explicit call for genocide within a replacement settlement vision seeking a “zero-Arab state” between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Researcher Walid Habbas said the targeting of mosques, homes, and schools is not random but aims to strip Palestinians of their humanity, erase their connection to the land, and declare symbolic Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian spaces, further destabilising the occupied West Bank.

Watch For

Monitor whether Israeli authorities investigate or prosecute those responsible for the August 4 Jalud attack and the Qusra mosque arson, and whether further Hilltop Youth or Price Tag actions occur in Nablus-area villages. Watch for responses from the Palestinian Authority, UN OCHA, or Israeli security forces regarding the reported surge in settler violence and graffiti.