Description

Photo: A man outside the mosque in Jab'a on June 19, 2012. The graffiti reads "Ulpana war." Photo by Iyad Haddad, B'tselem

Unidentified vandals set fire to a Palestinian mosque, spray-paint graffiti on its walls; IDF: Attack could undermine security in the area.

Mosque in West Bank village set alight in suspected 'price tag' attack
Unidentified vandals set fire to a Palestinian mosque, spray-paint graffiti on its walls; IDF: Attack could undermine security in the area.

By Chaim Levinson and Gili Cohen for Haaretz

A mosque in the West Bank village of Jab'a, located south of Ramallah, was set on fire in a suspected "price tag" arson attack early Tuesday morning.

Graffiti carrying messages such as "The war has begun" and "You will pay the price" was spray-painted on the mosque's walls.

Shin Bet agents and police, accompanied by a heavy contingent of IDF soldiers, were combing the area for clues and interrogating witnesses in the village on Tuesday morning.

The mosque appears to have been attacked around 1:30 A.M. While none of the villagers saw the arsonists, they noticed the fire following the attack and hurried to extinguish it.

According to villagers, while the incident was immediately reported to the IDF, the army only arrived on the scene around 6 A.M.

Jab'a is located near Highway 60, a central traffic artery in the West Bank, but the access road to the village is blocked by large dirt mounds. Police are still investigating whether the attackers arrived by car or on foot.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak condemned the attack on Tuesday morning, calling it "a grave and criminal act, meant to harm the fabric of life in the area and distract the IDF and the security forces from their missions, which include protecting Israeli citizens in the area."

Barak added that he had instructed the IDF and Israel's security forces to use "all means" to find the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice.

The IDF said it views the incident gravely and that it could undermine the stability of security in the area.

"Price tag" attacks are generally carried out by West Bank settlers and their supporters against Palestinian targets, often in retaliation for moves against settlements.

Tuesday morning's attack followed an extensive drill by Israel Police on Monday, held in preparation for the expected evacuation of the Ulpana Hill neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El.

Earlier this month, vandals carried out similar actions in the East Jerusalem neighborhood Shuafat, as well as in the Jewish-Arab village of Neveh Shalom.

Also in early June, a number of Middle East experts warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that continued settlement construction or the burning of a major mosque by Jewish extremists could ignite a third intifada in the West Bank.

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Photo: Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud al-Habash toured the Jaba mosque,
which was found torched and spray-painted in Hebrew slogans overnight.
(MaanImages)

PA officials say Israel responsible for mosque arson

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian officials on Tuesday slammed the torching of a West Bank mosque overnight, an attack Israel settlers are suspected of carrying out.

Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud al-Habash toured the Jaba mosque, which was found torched and spray-painted with Hebrew slogans earlier in the day.

An Israeli police spokesman said investigators were "looking into the possibility that it was a 'Price Tag' attack" -- referring to retribution settlers say they will exact for any attempt by the Israeli government to curb Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

Al-Habash held Israel responsible for the attack, warning that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's support to settlers gives them a cover for such acts of aggression.

Netanyahu has pledged to bring the arsonists to justice, calling them "intolerant and irresponsible lawbreakers."

Al-Habash said President Mahmoud Abbas issued a directive for the mosque's reconstruction, which will be completed by next Friday.

The minister assured residents that the Palestinian Authority would take all necessary measures to face such attacks, calling the burning of mosques an attack on the Islamic creed.

Meanwhile, the PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement warning the attack of any place of worship, Muslim or Christian, is dangerous as it is considered a call for religious war.

Israel wants to destroy the peace process, and such Israeli activities are making this happen, it said.

The ministry called on the international community and United Nations to respond to the attack, and protect places of worship.

Reuters contributed to this report