Israeli Arabs protest after mosque torched

Security forces early Monday dispersed a few hundred Israeli Arab protestors in the Galilee after an arson overnight damaged a mosque, in what police suspect was a "price tag" attack by Jewish extremists. Some 300 residents of the Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangariyye set out on a march toward a nearby Jewish town, hurling stones at police and burning tires along the way. Police reportedly fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the rioters. Several of them were detained for questioning. Unknown assailants set fire to one of the village's mosques overnight Sunday, causing heavy damage to the interior and to holy books, and sprayed on one of its walls the words "price tag" and " Palmer" -- the last name of the father and son killed in a car crash caused by suspected Palestinian stone hurling in Kiryat Arba last month. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Officials would not provide details other than saying that several people suspected of involvement in the arson have been arrested. Zakaria Elheib, a local resident of Tuba, told Xinhua that the activity of all educational and commercial institutions has been suspended following the event. "No one will stay silent over this. Our response will be very harsh," he said. So-called "price tag" attacks refer to revenge vandalism, mainly attributed to Jewish settlers, against Palestinian property in the West Bank after security forces dismantle illegal outposts. Although mostly confined to the West Bank, attacks of the kind have been on the rise over the past year and began to appear in northern Israel. In June 2010, hate slogans were spray-painted on a mosque in the Bedouin village of Ibtin in the heart of the lower western Galilee. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to condemn the attack, personally instructing Shin Bet security service chief Yoram Cohen to bring the perpetrators to justice. "Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was outraged by the images, said that this crime contravenes the values of the State of Israel, in which freedom of religion and freedom of worship are supreme values," read a statement released by his office. "The images are shocking and have no place in the State of Israel," the statement said. Arab-Israeli lawmaker Ahmed Tibi, a staunch advocate of an independent Palestinian state, said "Jewish terrorists" were behind the attack, and trying to spread the conflict from the West Bank to inside Israel. Tuba-Zangariyye is considered loyal to Israel and its ideals, and many of its residents serve in the military and police.