Jewish settlers targeted mosques to obstruct peace talks. After another mosque was burned down, Palestinian officials today said West Bank Jews were trying to "defuse aspects of the religious conflict".
Amid the United States' efforts to save the recently launched Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, the Palestinian Authority worries that Jewish settlers are trying to spark riots by targeting mosques and olive groves.
A mosque in the Palestinian village of Beit Fajar, north of the West Bank city of Hebron, was burned down Monday morning. According to Palestinian sources, inscriptions that blaspheme the Prophet Muhammad were sprayed on several walls of the mosque.
Dozens of Jewish settlers gathered near Burin. They demanded that mosques in Palestinian villages must be destroyed. They accused the minarets of being used to "track the settlers' movements" and therefore endanger them.
"The demonstrations in Burin are an indication that the settlers are planning to turn on the area with the aim of sabotaging the negotiations," stressed Palestinian official Ghassaan Daglas.
"Abuse by settlers increases whenever there is some diplomatic development or when US envoys and other representatives visit the region with the aim of overturning the (peaceful) process," he said.
Daglas said West Bank Jews deliberately targeted agricultural fields and olive groves which he called "sacred to Palestinians" as well as mosques that are holy to Muslims.
Jewish settlers attacked mosques in Yasouf and Luban. They also burned the Beit Fajar Mosque. "These actions show that they are trying to shift the conflict to religious aspects," he stressed. (Ynetnews / Tempo Interactive)
