Right-wing settlers vandalize mosque and terrorize Palestinians in the West Bank

Taken from PSLweb.org (visit it!)

Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the town of Huwara, located in the West Bank, April 14. In the latest attack by Israelis from the Yitzhar settlement, several cars were set ablaze and hundreds of olive trees were unearthed. The masked men proceeded to spray-paint the Star of David and the word “Mohammed” in Hebrew. Various racist slogans were also spray-painted throughout the town.

The Israeli Defense Force speculates that the attack was a “price tag” for the recent freeze of expansion into the West Bank. Ultra-right settlers have threatened to indiscriminately attack Palestinians in retaliation. In December 2009, nine settlers from Yitzhar were arrested for setting a mosque on fire in Yasuf.

Israeli settlements are in clear violation of international law, which prohibits their construction on illegally occupied land. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s refusal to permanently freeze the expansion shows the government’s unwillingness to engage in talks leading to a genuine peace settlement.