Violation: targeting religious sites.
Location: Jaba’ – southern Ramallah.
Date: June 19, 2012.
Perpetrators: colonists of Maale Mikhmas
On June 19, 2012, Israeli colonists set Zayd ibn Haretha mosque in Jaba’ ablaze after breaking its windows and sneaking into it. They also wrote some slogans on the walls of the mosque, the likes of ‘payback’ and ‘Lenova colony’ revering to the colonial outpost which the Israeli Supreme Court ordered its removal.
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Picture 1-2: Jaba’ mosque
Shihda Kadam, a member of Jaba’ Village Council, said: ‘at around 1:30 am, flames were seen rising of the mosque; the villagers rushed to put the fire down. Slogans were written on the walls of the mosque, the likes of ‘payback’ which is the name of a group which has been responsible for several attacks against Palestinian properties all around the West Bank and call for murdering Arabs and expelling them. I called the Israeli Police and asked them to send a fire truck from the nearby colony of Adam; however, they refused and told me to call the Palestinian Civil Defense. Meanwhile, the flames were consuming the contents of the mosque. At 4:00 am, the head of the Village Council called the Palestinian Coordination Office urging them to call the Israeli side and make them send a fire truck. An hour later, the Israeli Army Commander in the area showed up with a large Israeli force and ordered us not to touch a thing until the ‘Crime Scene Investigation Unit’ arrives. The unit arrived at 9, asked some questions, took some testimonies and ordered us to wipe the slogans off which we refused in order to leave a mark of the Israeli racism and hatred‘.
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It must be noted that all of the attacks against mosques are adopted by the Israeli Government which provide the assailants with fleeing routes and help when they need it.
