Alert residents foil attempt to set West Bank mosque on fire

Palestinian residents in the West Bank village of Burqin foiled an attempt by Israeli colonists to burn down a mosque yesterday. According to a statement by the village council, armed Israeli colonists from nearby Ariel raided the village and threw a burning tyre at the entrance of the Bin Abi Talib Mosque. The statement claimed that the colonists set several cars in the area around the mosque on fire and vandalised homes in the village. The statement added that the colonists took the residents by surprise as the attack took place during the dawn prayer time. As soon as residents were alerted about the attack, scores of villagers rushed to the mosque to defend the area. Clashes erupted between the two sides and the colonists retreated after spray painting the mosque walls and also some homes with graffiti such as ‘price tag' and ‘revenge'. No injuries were reported in the clashes. The Israeli armed forces did not get involved in the incident. Condemned Shaikh Mohammad Hussain, Grand Mufti of Palestine, condemned the attack on the mosque of Burqin in the strongest terms, branding the attack as a well- planned barbarian attack which targets the sacred places of the Muslim Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. He stressed that the colonists are fully supported by the Israeli government which is held responsible for such intolerable attacks. He urged the Israeli government and colonists to show due respect to religious places. Dr. Mustafa Al Barghouti, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, told reporters in Ramallah that the alert residents of Burqin foiled the serious and planned attack on the mosque. "The price tag statements spray-painted on the walls show the extremist and racist nature of the colonists," he said. "The Israeli government is directly and undoubtedly involved in the price tag attacks on the Palestinians," he added. Al Barghouti said that the number of colonists' attacks is on the rise and crossed all the red lines. "The colonists could not attack in such a pace without the support and cover of the Israeli government," he said. Israeli air strike An Israeli air strike hit a group of Palestinian fighters along a volatile area between Israel and the Gaza Strip early yesterday, killing one and wounding two others in a burst of violence that shattered a recent lull and threatened to set off more fighting. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Adham Abu Salmia said the violence erupted when Israeli troops moved into a buffer zone east of Gaza City. Palestinian fighters then engaged the troops in a gunbattle before an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at them. He said one of the wounded was in critical condition. The army often patrols the area to search for explosives or clear out areas potentially used by Palestinian fighters to stage attacks. The Israeli military said its aircraft had targeted two Palestinian squads that they claimed were preparing to fire rockets into southern Israel. It pledged to "continue to take action against those [who] use terror against the state of Israel." In a text message, the Islamic Jihad said the fighters were its members. The group has been involved in a number of clashes with Israel in recent months.