RAMALLAH, June 7, 2011 (WAFA) – Jewish settlers set fire Monday night to a mosque in Mughayyir, a village northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank, said the head of the local council on Tuesday.
Faraj Nasan told WAFA that villagers discovered the fire when they went to pray at dawn. They found burning tires inside, which lead to the cracking of the mosques's walls and damage to much of its contents.
He added, “We found Hebrew writings on the outside walls that read: ‘This is the beginning of revenge.’”
Nasan said he has good reason to believe that settlers of Alei Ayin, an outpost that the Israeli army removed last week, were responsible for the arson. Some residents had seen a group of Israeli soldiers in the village last night.
Jihad Nasan, another village resident, said the army arrived at the village following discovery of the arson. Village youth threw stones at the soldiers, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
President Mahmoud Abbas gave intructions Tuesday to the governor of Ramallah, Leila Ghannam, to take immediate steps to repair the damage caused to the mosque.
M.N./F.J.
