Palestinian restaurant destroyed in suspected settler attack; owner reports gunfire and death threats

A Palestinian restaurant in the West Bank village of Lubban ash-Sharqiyah has been completely destroyed in what the owner describes as a coordinated attack by more than 100 settlers. The assailants allegedly broke in, smashed doors, stole money and set the premises alight, causing damage estimated at over one million shekels (approximately £230,000). The restaurant burned to the ground following the incident.

The owner and village council head told local media that the attackers were armed and fired weapons during the raid. He claimed the Israeli Army stood by at a distance of 20-30 metres while the building burned, and alleged he has received over ten previous death threats and threats of arson from settlers.

The Israeli Defence Force stated that the suspected attackers fled the scene before military forces arrived at the location. The incident represents one of several violent confrontations between Palestinian communities and settlers in the occupied West Bank, an area where tensions over land and settlement expansion remain a persistent flashpoint.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.