Malicious graffiti sprayed on Ibtin mosque

Unknown elements sprayed hate messages Tuesday night on a mosque in the northern village of Ibtin which read: "Up for demolition," "Price tag," and "War will break out in Judea and Samaria." Star of David signs were also sprayed on the building. Ibtin locals suspect that residents of the nearby community of Rechasim were behind the act.

Police have launched and investigation, but no suspects have been arrested as of yet.

Ibtin residents discovered the desecration prior to Wednesday's morning prayer. "It's not easy reading such things, especially given the fact that the village's mosque was already torched in 1988," the mosque's keeper Muahmmad Umriyeh said.

"When we started asking around someone said he saw three teens in the village center last night who wore yarmulkes. He asked them what they were doing and they said they were searching for a lost dog," Umriyeh related. According to the resident, the teens said they were from Rechasim.

Desecrated mosque (Photo: Courtesy of pls48.net)

Umriyeh added that on the most part relations between Ibtin and Rechasim residents are good. "We grew up together and we respect one another," he noted.

However, new residents have settled in the area in recent years and the state of calm has been broken. The community's cemetery was desecrated several times.

"The atmosphere is not a good one at the moment. For us a mosque is a red line," Umriyeh said. "We are trying to calm spirits but people are really angry."

Zevulun Regional Council, which contains Ibtin, has sent representatives to ease tensions. A local police official said that while an investigation was launched, it was too early to point out the perpetrators.

Clashes

"Price tag" incidents have increased over the last few months and are suspected to be carried out by radical settlers, mainly in the West Bank communities.

Unknown elements torched two Palestinian vehicles in the Jinsafut village, west of Nablus several weeks ago and sprayed "Price tag" and a Star of David sign on one of the buildings in the site. No arrests were made.

It should be noted that a particularly violent clash broke out Tuesday between Beit El residents and security forces, who came to demolish building foundations set up in violation of freeze orders.

Nine people were arrested and 38 were wounded. It has not been made clear whether the Beit El riots and the mosque's desecration are in fact connected.