A mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was partly set on fire on Wednesday in an alleged attack by Jewish settlers living nearby.
The main gate of the mosque in Deir Istiya village and some of the carpeting inside were charred by the flames. Graffiti in Hebrew, reading “Revenge for spilled blood” and “Arabs Out”, was scribbled on an outside wall and a door.
Such slogans have been used in previous attacks on Palestinian property which police suspect were carried out by settlers.
The incident comes at a delicate time in US sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which were revived last year and are set to expire in April.
Israeli soldiers entered Deir Istiya after the attack and an Israeli police spokesman said a search for the suspects was under way.
