Israeli Colonists Set a Mosque Ablaze in Qusra village – Nablus Governorate

Violation: setting a mosque on fire.

Perpetrators: ‘Adi Ad’ colonists.

Date: September 5, 2011.

Victims: Qusra residents.

 

On the early dawn hours, a group of colonists broke into Qusra village as part of their daily aggressions against the Palestinians. This time, the colonists targeted ‘Al Norayn’ mosque; the mosque, which was not spared by its religious nature.  A group of radical colonists sneaked into the village and broke into the mosque before throwing inflaming tires inside it. The fire consumed the ground floor devouring everything on its way.

 

In addition, the colonists wrote anti-Islam slogans and drawing the ‘David star’. Besides, they wrote ‘Mighron’ in reference to the colony that has been recently dismantled; a colony that held 3 mobile homes randomly placed over ‘Mikhmas’ lands.

 

 

 

The torching of the mosque is a response to the dismantle of the outpost ‘Migron’; it seems that the colonists were sending a message implying that any further dismantle will trigger more retaliation. This is not an isolated attack; similar attacks were held by Israeli colonists, surely protected by Israeli troops, against Palestinian mosques all around the West Bank throughout years of occupation.

 

Since the conquest of Palestine in 1948, whole villages were wiped off with all its structures including mosques, churches, and other religious structures. According to a study conducted by the Land Research Center – LRC, 48 mosques suffered from Israeli attacks (demolitions, seizures, torching, defiling, etc.) since 1967; 17 were attacked in 2010 and 2011 only. Concurrently, the Israeli Occupation Army demolished 450 Palestinian structures in 2011.

 

Nevertheless, the result of the removal of 3 unused mobile homes, which forms Migron outpost, is torching a mosque, a symbol of Islam, a place to worship God, respecting humanity, and spreading peace; however, these terms seems to be missing from the wild colonists dictionary.

 

An outer observer can clearly see the increasing aggressions against religious and sacred sites; torching mosques, demolishing them, or defiling cemeteries are just examples. These attacks cannot be viewed as isolated incidents; it is obvious that the Israeli official and unofficial bodies are implementing a systematic approach designated against religious sites. The colonists are just another tool to execute such plans.

 

Today was Al Noorayn Mosque, before it, Al Mughayyer, last year Al Lubban, and many other mosques which have become a usual target for the colonists who get full support from the Israeli Army and the Israeli State which is based on discrimination and radicalism.

 

The Israelis are brushing away all the International conventions and agreements by targeting religious and sacred sites. On the other hand, Adi Ad colonists have been preventing farmers of Qusra from reaching their lands in an area known as ‘Baslatu’ by attacking them, their cattle, uprooting trees. The latest attack occurred in August, 2011, when they uprooted 60 olive seedlings.