BETHLEHEM MOSQUE TORCHED BY ISRAELI EXTREMIST SETTLERS

Bethlehem, 6 Jumadal Awwal 1436/25 February 2015 (MINA) – A horde of Israeli extremist settlers set fire to a mosque in Bethlehem’s village of al-Jab’a and daubed anti-Arab graffiti on its walls, on early Wednesday (25/2) morning.

A flock of Israeli vandals started a fire in al-Huda Mosque at around 4 a.m. before a group of workers and worshipers arriving for their workplaces and prayers discovered the fire and rushed to put it out, head of the Jab’a village council, No’man Hamdan, told WAFA news agency, Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The fire resulted in material damage, wrought on some of the mosque’s furniture and interior facades.

The settlers further sprayed the walls of the mosque with racist and offensive graffiti calling to step up antagonism and attacks against Arabs and Muslims.

According to a PIC news reporter, the Huda Mosque is the only Islamic place of worship for some 1,500 Muslims living in the village.

The Palestinian natives of the village spoke out against the persistent geographical and psychological threats posed by Israel’s arson attacks and misappropriation of local land lots to expand the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc. (T/P006/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)