Settler attack in West Bank village, footage shows fires overnight
Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian Bedouin hamlet of Khirbet al-Sidra in the West Bank overnight, according to Palestinian officials and security-camera footage obtained by The Associated Press. The footage, timestamped at around 10 p.m. Saturday, shows fires spreading through multiple structures in the village amid sounds described as gunfire, screaming and barking.
The Associated Press reported that the flames grew large enough at points to illuminate groups of settlers dressed in black as they moved through the area. Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem governorate said dozens of settlers attacked the village, injuring two Palestinians and two activists who were later hospitalized.
In a statement, the governorate said at least eight homes and two vehicles were burned during the assault. The Associated Press also said the governorate reported that eight homes and at least two cars were burned.
Israel’s military said soldiers dispatched to the village found an Israeli vehicle with clubs inside. The military said Palestinians, Israelis and foreign nationals were injured, and that troops were searching the area to make arrests; as of Sunday afternoon, it had not reported any arrests.
The attack was described as part of a wider pattern of violence in the occupied territory, where settler attacks have risen in recent months. The Associated Press said about 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war, and that most of the international community views the settlements as illegal.
“Board of Peace” invitations broaden
On Sunday, at least four more countries said they had been invited to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace.” Jordan, Greece, Cyprus and Pakistan announced they had received invitations, while Albania, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina and Turkey had already said they were invited, according to the Associated Press report.
The board was initially seen as a mechanism focused on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Associated Press said, but it is now taking shape with ambitions for a broader mandate that could address other global crises. The report said the U.S. had not yet announced the official list of members.
The Associated Press said Trump sent letters to world leaders inviting them to be “founding members” of the board, and that Trump wrote the body would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict.” A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity about the still-unreleased charter, said there was no requirement to contribute money to join, but that a $1 billion contribution would secure permanent membership rather than a three-year appointment, with the money raised going to rebuilding Gaza.
Israel moves against UNRWA in east Jerusalem
In another development, Israel’s government moved to restrict UNRWA operations in east Jerusalem as diplomacy and humanitarian planning continue around the Gaza war. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on X that he issued formal notices to disconnect water and electricity from UNRWA facilities.
UNRWA said on X that the shutdown could take effect within two weeks, according to the Associated Press report. The Associated Press said the move followed a December decision by Israel’s parliament to pass a bill to cut electricity and water supply to UNRWA facilities.
The earlier ban, the report said, closed many UNRWA services in east Jerusalem, though the agency continues to operate a vocational training center there. UNRWA provides aid and services, the Associated Press said, to around 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and to 3 million more in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
The Associated Press reported that earlier last year Israel banned UNRWA from operating on its territory after months of attacks on the agency in which Israel said it was deeply infiltrated by Hamas; UNRWA rejected that accusation.