Arsonists Vandalize Palestinian Mosque

[alp227]

JERUSALEM – Arsonists, suspected to be radical Israeli settlers, damaged part of a Palestinian mosque in a village near the West Bank city of Hebron early Monday, torching rugs and copies of the Koran and scrawling the word “revenge” in Hebrew on a wall, police officials and witnesses said.

Palestinian residents of the village, Al Fajjar, said they saw an Israeli car speeding away before dawn.

Ehud Barak, the Israeli defense minister, said that whoever set the fire in the mosque was “a terrorist” and that no means would be spared to catch the culprits.

Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/world/middleeast/05mideast.html

[whosinpower]

1. Story seems a bit different depending on the source

Haaretz talks of a fire and settlers fighting with palistinians.....and when the police arrived, they split up the fighting parties and forced the settlers to leave.....

Jpost - does not go so far as to say that the police forced the settlers to leave - only that there was a fight between the settlers and the palistinians at the mosque site during the fire.

So...it seems a bit strange that IF settlers were there fighting with the palistinians during the fire....that they would be allowed to leave and then the government comes out with a statement that it will find the perpetrators. Wierd......

Also wierd that this story does not implicate the "Operation Price Tag" which was implicated in the jewish news sites.

[azurnoir]

2. And yet more from Maan

PA investigating mosque arson

Palestinian Authority police have launched an investigation into a fire in a mosque believed to have been caused by Israeli settlers overnight in Bethlehem, the district's chief prosecutor said Monday.

<snip>

Locals told Ma'an that several settlers ransacked the mosque overnight and set fire to carpets inside. Muhammad Taqatqa, who lives next to the mosque, said he saw a white car with Israel license plates leaving town after the mosque was set on fire, heading west toward the Etzion junction.

<snip>

An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an that Israeli police in the West Bank have begun operating in the area to locate the assailants.

She further said head of Israel's Civil Administration Yoav Mordechai "personally spoke with Palestinian Authority officials" to inform them that the Israeli army takes the incident seriously and is working on "tracking down the culprits severely punished by authorities."

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=320630

[oberliner]

3. ADL Condemns Torching Of West Bank Mosque

Jerusalem, October 4, 2010 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the torching of a West Bank mosque in the village of Beit Fajar. According to reports, the mosque was set aflame, and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim graffiti was found on the walls.

The incident followed at least two other acts of vandalism on mosques in the West Bank which are believed to have been perpetrated by extremist Israeli Jews.

ADL's Israel Office issued the following statement:

We are outraged by the attack on the mosque in Beit Fajar.

We join with Israeli officials in condemning this act of hate, and hope that the joint IDF-Palestinian investigative team will identify and apprehend the perpetrators of this vicious act and bring them to justice according to the law.

These violent acts, which are believed to be the work of Israeli Jewish extremists, are unacceptable. Political opposition should be expressed in peaceful and legal ways.

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/IslME_62/5860_62.htm

[azurnoir]

4. thanks I must commend ADL's Israel office them for that n/t

[oberliner]

5. Maybe they can refocus their energies in a more positive direction

The Pink Floyd thing was beyond silly.