Colonists Set a Mosque and a School Alight in Huwwara – Nablus Governorate

Violation:  torching Huwwara’s Elementary School and a Mosque.

Location: north eastern part of Huwwara – Nablus Governorate.

Perpetrators: Yizhar colonists.

Date: May 3, 2011.

 

A mosque and a school have been the most recent targets for the colonists’ continuous attacks against the Palestinians. The colonists’ attacks have been provided with full support, probably supervision, of the Israeli Occupation Army and Government. Bilal ibn Rabah mosque, which was torched on May 3, 2011, was among many other mosques that faced the same fate. Targeting mosques adds to the frustration of the Muslim population of Palestine.

 

 

 

On May 3, 2011, Israeli colonists broke into Huwwara Elementary School breaking the glass windows of the mosque before setting it alight. The fire caused the destruction of the mosque contents of Holy Books, carpets, and even the platform. Targeting Mosques and Holy sites policy, implemented by the colonists, shows their destructive ideology based on odium and hatred. They intend to wipe off the Islamic and Christian traces in the country through that policy.

 

Huwwara School Principal stated to an LRC Observer: ‘it is not the first time that this occurs, similar incidents have been recorded previously. The colonists used to throw garbage on the school and obstruct the students; the worst was torching the mosque’.

 

Huwwara is located 8 km to the south of Nablus, edging by-pass road ’60’ (known as ‘death route’ because of the large number of accidents that occurred there). Huwwara Municipality tried in vain to fix the road and add some traffic signs but their efforts were denied by the Israelis.

 

Huwwara is inhabited by 5570 people, 3% of the population are refugees. Its total area is 8520 dunums including 1116 dunums of built-up area. Yizhar colony is built over Huwwara; the colony took over 331 dunums of the village lands; in addition, the village lost more than 430 dunums for the milling of by-pass road ’60’.

 

Yizhar:
It was established in 1983, the total built-up area of the colony is somewhere around 788 dunums (in addition to 530 dunums in eastern Yizhar) which is inhabited by 440 colonists. It is built on Palestinian ground (the villages of Burin, Huwwara, ‘Einabus, ‘Urif, ‘Asira al Qibliya, and Madama), like any other Israeli colony.