Israelis vandalize mosque near Haifa
Israeli youth have reportedly vandalized a mosque with graffiti in Ibtin, a village east of Haifa, on Tuesday night.
“There will be a war over Judea and Samaria,” “price tag” and “this structure is destined for demolition” were the three slogans spray-painted on the mosque walls, Israeli media reported.
The graffiti was discovered by village residents at 4:30 am.
“This is a serious crime that cannot be ignored,” Mohammed Omaria, a village resident who works at the mosque, told Haaretz. “The crime was the result of the recent wave of anti-Arab incitement in Israel.”
A village resident who lives near the mosque said he saw three yarmulke-wearing youths in the mosque’s vicinity at around 2am on Wednesday.
When he asked them what they were doing there, they answered that they were searching for their dog, the paper said.
Dozens of village residents and Muslims from nearby villages flocked to the mosque to inspect the damage. The village’s leaders said they plan to involve Israeli Arab lawmakers in the affair and hold a conference at the mosque.
Arsonists had set fire to the mosque in 1988.
