Palestinian firefighters accused Israeli settlers of obstructing them from extinguishing a large blaze near a Christian village in the West Bank late Tuesday night.

The incident came amid rising strife in the West Bank, where some Western countries announced sanctions on settler groups this week over violent attacks on Palestinians.

Father Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of Taybeh, said settlers had shot firearms and surrounded people trying to take a water tanker to the site to fight the fire.

Palestinian Authority Civil Defense spokesperson Nael al-Azza said the Israel Defense Forces also temporarily stopped firefighters reaching the fire while they arranged security coordination.

Fawadleh and Azza said the firefighters were eventually able to reach the blaze and put it out, though settlers continued trying to obstruct them.

The IDF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident. It has not issued any public comment on the event.

The reported attack is the latest in recent months to target Taybeh, where previously, settlers allegedly set fire to cars in the area and tagged a building and a vehicle with graffiti.

The town drew attention last year when US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited following earlier instances of settler violence there. At the time, Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, denounced the arson attack as “an act of terror” and demanded “harsh consequences” for the perpetrators.

Reuters visited the village on Wednesday, where smoke was........

© The Times of Israel