Fire attack on West Bank mosque
Jewish settlers are suspected of being behind an attack on a mosque in the north of the occupied West Bank.
Attackers set fire to a library and prayer mats, and sprayed graffiti in Hebrew at the scene.
Palestinian residents of the village of Yasuf clashed briefly with Israeli soldiers investigating the attack.
Attacks on Palestinians by settlers are increasing. A number of incidents have been captured on video and received wide publicity.
Israeli human rights groups have accused the police and army of running inadequate investigations into such incidents.
One group reported that nine out of 10 investigations into alleged attacks on Palestinians by settlers end without anyone being charged.
Some hard-line settlers advocate a "price tag" policy under which they attack Palestinians in retaliation for any Israeli government measure they see as threatening Jewish settlements.
One of the slogans sprayed on the wall of the mosque in Yasuf read: "Get ready to pay the price," Israeli public radio reported. Another read: "We will burn you all."
In a statement, the Israeli military said it "views the incident gravely" and that security forces are working to locate the perpetrators.
But the local Palestinian governor, Munir Abushi, accused the Israeli security forces of doing too little to protect Palestinians from settler attacks.
Freeze call
On Wednesday, thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters staged a rally in Jerusalem in protest at a recently-announced curb on settlement building in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a 10-month lull in permits for new settlement homes in the West Bank, not including East Jerusalem.
The order followed US and Palestinian calls for a total freeze in settlement building.
Palestinian officials have refused to rejoin peace talks until a total freeze is imposed.
All Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
BBC
Jewish settlers are suspected of being behind an attack on a mosque in the north of the occupied West Bank.
Attackers set fire to a library and prayer mats, and sprayed graffiti in Hebrew at the scene.
Palestinian residents of the village of Yasuf clashed briefly with Israeli soldiers investigating the attack.
Attacks on Palestinians by settlers are increasing. A number of incidents have been captured on video and received wide publicity.
Israeli human rights groups have accused the police and army of running inadequate investigations into such incidents.
One group reported that nine out of 10 investigations into alleged attacks on Palestinians by settlers end without anyone being charged.
Some hard-line settlers advocate a "price tag" policy under which they attack Palestinians in retaliation for any Israeli government measure they see as threatening Jewish settlements.
One of the slogans sprayed on the wall of the mosque in Yasuf read: "Get ready to pay the price," Israeli public radio reported. Another read: "We will burn you all."
In a statement, the Israeli military said it "views the incident gravely" and that security forces are working to locate the perpetrators.
But the local Palestinian governor, Munir Abushi, accused the Israeli security forces of doing too little to protect Palestinians from settler attacks.
Freeze call
On Wednesday, thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters staged a rally in Jerusalem in protest at a recently-announced curb on settlement building in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a 10-month lull in permits for new settlement homes in the West Bank, not including East Jerusalem.
The order followed US and Palestinian calls for a total freeze in settlement building.
Palestinian officials have refused to rejoin peace talks until a total freeze is imposed.
All Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
BBC
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