New Arson Attempt at West Bank Mosque
Vandals tried to set light to a mosque in a West Bank village overnight, the local mayor told Agence France Presse on Thursday in what was the latest "price tag" vengeance attack.
"Carpets and chairs in the women's section were partly burnt and on the wall was Hebrew graffiti saying 'The war has started'," said Abdelkader Abdeljalil, mayor of Burqa village, which lies several kilometers (miles) east of Ramallah.
It was the second attempt to torch a mosque in as many days.
Early on Tuesday, a disused mosque in central Jerusalem was set alight and covered with racist anti-Arab graffiti in a move which drew a sharp condemnation from Washington.
No-one saw the perpetrators of the attack in Burqa but they were widely assumed to be Jewish extremists who have in recent days stepped up a campaign of attacks on mosques and other Palestinian property but also against Israeli troops in anticipation of moves to demolish unauthorized settlement outposts.
Burqa is located less than a kilometer away from Migron, another settlement outpost which is slated for demolition in the first half of next year by virtue of an order from Israel's Supreme Court.
The rise in "price tag" violence, particularly that which targets soldiers, has angered Israel's leadership.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday announced measures to clamp down on the perpetrators, who until now, have faced little official sanction.
Source: Agence France Presse
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