Settlers set fire to West Bank mosque after Israel demolishes illegal structures in Migron

Palestinian Authority condemns attack, says incident is not the first of its kind to be carried out by settlers against mosques, hours after Israel Police destroys three homes in settlement outpost of Migron.

By Chaim Levinson and Avi Issacharoff

A mosque in the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus, was set on fire Monday morning, hours after Israeli police officers destroyed three illegal structures in the settlement outpost of Migron.

According to Palestinian sources, a group of settlers arrived at the village mosque at approximately 3 A.M., threw burning tires toward it, and broke several of its windows. The event is the latest in a series of clashes between settlers and Palestinians in the region.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, stating that it is not the first of its kind to be carried out by settlers against mosques in the West Bank, and called on the Middle East Quartet to get involved.

According to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an, settlers also threw rocks at Palestinian vehicles near the settlement of Yitzhar, resulting in several instances of smashed windows.

The settler attack comes on the heels of response of the demolition of three buildings early Monday morning in the West Bank settlement outpost Migron, 14 kilometers north of Jerusalem.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/settlers-set-fire-to-west-bank-mosque-after-israel-demolishes-illegal-structures-in-migron-1.382617

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"Settlers armed by the Israeli authorities and supported by extremist right-wing factions based in Israel are preparing plans to attack Palestinian communities this month.

Following Israel’s decision to arm settler communities with tear gas and stun grenades, settlers supported by extremist right-wing Israeli factions are making preparations to “respond to any popular Palestinian move that is likely to take place as the Palestinian leadership asks the United Nations this month to recognize a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital”, according to our sources.

Fundamentalist settler organizations such as the Hilltop Youth Movement, and supporters of the outlawed Kahane Chai movement, (a splinter cell of the Kach terrorist group), and apparently headed by Michael Ben-Ari, Member of Knesset and of the extremist National Union Party (Ichud Leumi), confirmed that preparations for attacks began in August. Such organizations have acknowledged that there are already comprehensive plans outlining organized “children against children, women against women”, attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem to “contain the anticipated Palestinian popular activities”. According to the plans, heavily armed male settlers will “deal with the Palestinian male population of protestors."

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"The eight-page plan includes comprehensive instructions for military-style operations in Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. It operates under the slogan “let us transform September from threat to an historic opportunity to change the rules of the game”. It states unequivocally that “should the UN officially recognize a Palestinian independent state, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will take off to the streets to celebrate, and they might approach the settlements”, adding, “Unarmed Palestinian women and children will lead the processions heading to the settlements, this will push the Israeli soldiers to open fire at them, and this will lead to a full collapse in the security situation, and the Palestinians will resume their attacks against the settlements”. According to Ben Ari, the military’s supposedly protective and apolitical role necessitates settlers “initiating our own plans, making our own decisions”.

Officially the Israeli military has condemned settler plans to attack the Palestinians, but its official stance is brought into disrepute by a leaked report revealing “Operation Summer Seeds” - a blueprint for the providing further arms for aggressive settler communities.
Furthermore, Israel daily, Haaretz released a leaked document stating that the military maps have been circulated with detailed instructions to shoot Palestinian protestors in the legs should they cross designated lines also illustrated on the maps. The instructions do not differentiate between non-violent demonstrations and violent attacks by Palestinians, implying that both forms of demonstration would be met with the same violent response."

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10643&Itemid=64

A senior officer said Monday that Israeli soldiers would show "much more tolerance" toward Palestinian demonstrations than in the past thanks to riot-control training and new equipment designed to reduce injuries and deaths.

Israel is wary of large-scale protests by Palestinians as their leaders sidestep stalled peace talks by appealing for United Nations statehood recognition this month.

A similar deadlock in 2000 triggered a Palestinian revolt that Israel fueled with military crackdowns, resulting in a heavy death toll among unarmed protesters.

Last May and June, pro-Palestinian marchers throwing stones swarmed Israel's fortified boundary fences from Lebanon and Syria in two separate protests.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE78449820110905

yes IDF will show more 'tolerance' because they've armed their own "home guard" whomay well be willing to do the uglier stuff like destroy homes, businesses ect

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Tuesday), 6 September 2011, condemns the burning of a mosque near Nablus, which followed the demolition of homes at Migron.

Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that the acts of such extremists are designed to damage the delicate fabric of relations between religions and cultures in Israel which he is trying to preserve. He has instructed law enforcement authorities to act vigorously in order to arrest those responsible burning the mosque and bring them to justice.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2011/PM_Netanyahu_condemns_burning_mosque_6-Sep-2011.htm

European High Representative for Foreign Affairs urges Israel to investigate torching of Qusra mosque, calling it an attack on 'freedom of religion or belief'.

By Haaretz

The setting on fire of a West Bank mosque at the hands of settlers undermines trust necessary to achieve peace in the Middle East, the European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said on Tuesday.

Ashton's comments came after a mosque in the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus, was set on fire Monday morning, hours after Israeli police officers destroyed three illegal structures in the settlement outpost of Migron.

According to Palestinian sources, a group of settlers arrived at the village mosque at approximately 3 A.M., threw burning tires toward it, and broke several of its windows. The event is the latest in a series of clashes between settlers and Palestinians in the region.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, stating that it is not the first of its kind to be carried out by settlers against mosques in the West Bank, and called on the Middle East Quartet to get involved.

In response to the attack, the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issued a statement which strongly condemns the setting on fire and vandalising of the Al-Nurayn mosque in Qusra in the West Bank on Monday".

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-s-ashton-settler-attack-on-west-bank-mosque-undermines-mideast-peace-1.382868