(Adnkronos) – Settlers are accused of setting fire early this morning to the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque in the village of Tell, south of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Kan television reported this, explaining that military and police forces are going to the scene to investigate. Images shared by Palestinian media show the charred entrance of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque and on the outer wall phrases written in Hebrew with spray paint: “revenge” and “price”.
The Times of Israel explains that extremist settlers often refer to violence against Palestinians as the ‘price to pay’ for Palestinian attacks and for the dismantling of settler outposts by Israeli forces. According to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an, the fire was set at the entrance of the mosque, damaging its gate and exterior before locals managed to extinguish the flames.
“The attempt to burn the mosque clearly shows the barbarism reached by the Israeli racist incitement machine,” stated the Palestinian National Authority’s Ministry of Religious Endowments in a note. According to the ministry, settlers attacked 45 mosques last year.
