Israeli settlers set tires on fire in inside a West Bank village mosque on Tuesday. The move has left Palestinians angered at the continued “looking the other way” by the Israeli government at attacks being carried out by settlers in the West Bank. “We were not doing anything and they just stormed in and started setting these on fire,” said Ahmed Mughnieh, a resident of the al-Mughayyir village where the attack took place. According to local reports, the settlers spraypainted anti-Arab slogans and the name of a nearby settlement outpost Alei Ayin on the walls. The outpost was destroyed last week by Israeli police in an operation that led to battles with the settlers. An army spokesman has confirmed the mosque had been torched, adding that the military administration had received a complaint from residents and sent a team of forensic experts to search for clues. “The IDF (military) takes very seriously any attempts to vandalise sacred places,” a spokesman was reported by The Telegraph as saying. Settlers have been increasing their antagonism in recent months and this has led to attacks on Palestinians and their villages. The Palestinian Authority said “the Israeli authorities cannot continue to close their eyes (to such acts) because it gives impunity to settlers to continue their attacks.” It called on the international community to firmly denounce the “scandal” and hold Israel accountable. Israeli and American government officials have condemned the attack. “The United States condemns the burning and vandalizing of a mosque in the West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir today. This attack is the latest of several such acts of violence against West Bank mosques,” a White House statement read. “These incidents have served to undermine efforts to promote a comprehensive peace in the region. We call on the Israeli government to investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, and for calm from all parties.” For many Palestinians it is yet another sign that the settlements in the West Bank should be disbanded and removed. Mughnieh told Bikya Masr via telephone that he believes that the continued occupation is in its waning moments and that with the international community, there can be an end to the cycle of violence. “We have struggled through all this and yet the leaders of those foreign governments do so little. The time has come to make a change to what is going on here and I believe it will happen soon,” he added. BM
