Violation: Burning the entrance of Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque
Location: Deir Istiya town- Salfit governorate
Date: 15/01/2014
Perpetrators: Price-tag group
Details:
There is yet another attack on holy sanctuaries and places of worship by Jewish extremists who do not pay any respect whatsoever to sacred religious values and international conventions that prohibit attacking them.
At around 3a.m. of Wednesday, January 15, 2014, a group of Jewish settlers broke into Deir Istiya town where they headed into Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in a break-in attempt but they failed. They poured petrol at the entrance and set the mosque on fire.
1-2: The damaged mosque
Extremists also sprayed hostile slogans at the walls of the mosque, calling for revenge from Arabs. One of the price-tag graffiti read: "Death to Qusra" in reference to the people of Qusra village, north of Nablus, who took a number of colonists hostage about 10 days ago when the colonists were attempting to destroy olive trees.
Head of Deir Istiya village council, Mr. Ayyoub Abu Hijla, stated to LRC observer that: "While heading to the mosque to open it for people and perform al-Fajr prayers, I smelled the smoke of fire nearby and saw a group of colonists feeling the place. I immediately rushed to the mosque and tried to extinguish the fire and call for people to help who showed up on the spot and managed to put the fire out by the time it reached out the entrance. "
This new crime is added to the record of the Israeli occupation and extreme colonists' attacks on places of worship.
Price-tag group is a terrorist group that is comprised of right wing activists carrying out systematic and/or 'strategic' attacks all over the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the 1948-occupied Palestine under the protection and support of the Israeli Army. The price-tag campaign includes attacks on Palestinian-owned property like lands, crops and vehicles as well as attacks on religious sites and writing enticing and offensive slogans among others. One of its infamous slogans is "A good Arab is a dead one" which openly calls for murder and racism. Most price taggers are Yeshiva students aged between 18-23 years. They first appeared in 2008 and have been growing since.
Attacks against religious sites especially places of worship are of grave consequences. Such sanctuaries are considered holy to so many and thus attacking them ignites hatred and provokes outrage between nations. Religious discrimination might surface as a result.
But in recent years, right-wing Jews have been responsible for numerous assaults against religious sites.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
