Settlers Desecrate Muslim Cemetery Near Nablus

Thursday January 21, 2010 13:02 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

File - Muslim Cemetery Desecrated in Hebron

A group of fundamentalist settlers vandalized and desecrated on Wednesday a Muslim cemetery near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The settlers apparently first ate at the cemetery leaving food remnants behind, and then damaged three tombstones and sprayed anti-Arab graffiti in the cemetery that belong to Awarta town, near Nablus.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the discovery was made only hours after Israeli soldiers and fundamentalist settlers were seen in the cemetery.

Haaretz added that the settlers visit the cemetery as some Jewish scholars believe that Ithamar and Eleazar, the two sons of Aaron the High Priest, and Eleazar’s son, Pinhas, are buried there.

Although the settlers are not allowed into the village, Israeli soldiers frequently organize trips for them.

Local residents of Awarta village stated that Muslim tombstones alongside the Jewish gravesites were desecrated, Haaretz added.

Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, managed to interview some residents and took pictures of the damage.

The settlers wrote graffiti in Hebrew and in Russian. One of the Russian graffiti said. “Arabs are Gay. I F@#ed you mother and father and your donkey”, Haaretz reported.

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