News / Middle East

Israeli Settlers Suspected of Setting Fire in West Bank Mosque

Palestinians inspect the damage following a fire inside a mosque in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah, June 7, 2011
Palestinians inspect the damage following a fire inside a mosque in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah, June 7, 2011
TEXT SIZE - +

Officials say suspected Israeli settlers have set fire to a tire inside a mosque in the West Bank, and spray painted a message on the building's walls referring to a nearby settler outpost.

The fire was discovered Tuesday in the village of al-Mughayyir.  Officials say the damage was limited to some prayer rugs inside.

Authorities said the vandals painted the words "price tag" and "Aley Ayin" on the walls.  Aley Ayin is a small unauthorized settler outpost that was demolished by Israeli authorities last week.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled last September, partly due to Palestinian objections to Israeli settlement construction on land they want as part of a future state.

Israeli government officials announced plans last month to build about 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem.  The units will be on land that Israel annexed after the 1967 war.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

 

Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
and discuss them on our Facebook page.

You May Like

South Africa to Host World's Biggest Telescope

South Africa competed against Australia to host the telescope, the final decision was to split the SKA between the two countries More

Report: Global Warming Could Reverse Development

World Bank study says warmer climates threaten advances and could exacerbate poverty in world’s poorest regions More

Video Inmates Fight Fires, Gain Skills for Life After Prison

In California, physically fit inmates with no history of violent crimes can train, work as firefighters while serving their time More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Human Rights Film Festival Highlights Gender, Economic Issues

Twenty new films from around the world are screening in New York this week, as part of the 24th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center. The issues explored range from the rights of women, gays and the disabled, to economic justice, to political murder, torture and wrongful imprisonment. VOA’s Carolyn Weaver reports from New York.