Settlers in Hebron right graffiti on mosque walls insulting Islam, calling for killing Arabs

Saturday November 22, 2008 22:52 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A group of extremist Israeli settlers wrote graffiti on the walls on the Al Ras Mosque, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, calling for killing all Arabs and insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammad. The settlers also dumped trash into the mosque and uprooted dozens of olive trees.

Image by AP

The recent attack was carried out as the settlers “were expressing” their rejection to evacuation a Palestinian house adjacent to the mosque. The settlers illegally occupied the property on March 19 and the Israeli Supreme Court recently decided that they should evacuate it.   The house in question belongs to Al Rajabi family.

Local sources in Hebron reported that the settlers also desecrated graves in the Islamic Graveyard and hurled stones at dozens of Palestinian vehicles and homes in the city.

Most of the attacks were concentrated in Al Ja’bary neighborhood, Wadi Al Nasarah, Wadi Al Hasseen, and Jabal Jalis.

Several residents in Hebron complained that they became imprisoned in their homes, cannot leave them as they will be subjected to assaults and abuse by the settlers.  

Hebron governor Dr.  Hussein Al A’raj demanded the Israeli occupation forces to implement the Israeli court’s ruling and evacuate the settlers from the house of Al Rajabi.

“This is unimaginable; the settlers are desecrating the graves, writing graffiti insulting the prophet and insulting Islam”, the governor stated, “the high court issued several rulings to evacuate the house, to reopen roads the army and the settlers closed, but the army does not care and continues to protect the settlers who are attacking us, our graves, our homes, holy sites and lands”.

The settlers yet continue to ignore the decision of the Supreme Court as it stated in its last week’s ruling that they should voluntarily evacuate the four-story house within days.

A statement issued by the office of the Israeli Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai, said that the court ordered the evacuation of the settlers from the Palestinian house but the settlers ignored the ruling.

Consecutive Israeli governments traditionally avoid taking action against the radical and armed Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. This issue enabled the settlers to keep and even expand dozens of illegal settlement outposts.  

hebron | israeli settlement | news report saed at imemc dot org