American Marconi Wireless News - Israeli settlers set fire to mosque in occupied West Bank

Atta Kanaan, a Palestinian resident of Mikhmas who lives 50 metres from the mosque, told AFP that he heard the sound of breaking glass shortly after midnight on Wednesday and immediately went to the building.

"A fire was burning fiercely, and we called the fire brigade. Young men rushed to help us with fire extinguishers, and we managed to contain part of the fire before the flames engulfed the entire mosque," he said.

Israel's military told AFP that soldiers were dispatched to Mikhmas following a report of graffiti and arson at the mosque, as well as damage to a vehicle.

"No suspects were identified," it said, adding an investigation had been opened.

AFP video footage showed that the fire had burned down the mosque's interior carpeting and blackened the walls.

An AFP journalist reported that slogans were spraypainted in Hebrew on the exterior walls, including "just because we are quiet doesn't mean we are asleep".

Settlers also set fire to a car, Kanaan said, adding that in recent weeks villagers had formed night-watch patrols out of fear that settlers might torch homes, particularly those on the outskirts of the village.

Mikhmas is located in the central West Bank between Ramallah and Jerusalem, near several Israeli settlement outposts whose residents have attacked the community on several occasions in recent months.

Rouhi Fattouh, president of the Palestinian National Council, described the arson attack on the mosque as "a barbaric act and a dangerous escalation in settler terrorism".

The Palestinian National Council serves as the parliament of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has soared in recent months. Settler attacks have included physical assaults, land and crop theft, and vandalism of places of worship, homes and other buildings.

Excluding east Jerusalem, around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in settlements considered illegal under international law.

L.Durand--AMWN