Jewish settlers replace Korans burnt in West Bank

[oberliner]

(Reuters) - Jewish settlers on Tuesday gave new copies of the Koran to Palestinians in a West Bank village whose mosque was burned in an attack blamed by Palestinians on militants in the settler movement.

Several copies of Islam's holy book were scorched in the arson attack and threats in Hebrew were scrawled on the wall of the mosque of Beit Fajjar early on Monday.

The village sits on the edge of the sprawling Jewish settlement bloc of Gush Etzion.

Suspicion immediately fell on settler militants opposed to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, in which some settlements would be turned over to a Palestinian state.

"This visit is to say that although there are people who oppose peace, he who opposes peace is opposed to God," said Rabbi Menachem Froman, a well-known peace activist and one of a handful of settlers who went to Beit Fajjar to show solidarity with their Muslim neighbors.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6944DQ20101005

[hendo]

1. Good to see something like this happening :)

Now if only Israel would stop new developments in the West Bank.

[msongs]

2. steal the land, fork over a few books. better than manhattan for beads nt

[Ken Burch]

5. Then again...these days, the beads have a better bond rating.

n/t.

[azurnoir]

3. Thanks for posting n/t

[Ken Burch]

4. A nice, if small touch.

Not beating up nonviolent Palestinian protesters would be even better.

[azurnoir]

6. US condemns latest mosque arson

The US condemned "in the strongest terms" the setting fire to a mosque in Bethlehem on Tuesday, a statement issued by the State Department read.

"We condemn this attack in the strongest terms and call for the perpetrators to be brought to justice," the statement read, as the Palestinian Authority launch investigations into the arson attack against the Al-Anbiya Mosque in Beit Fajjar on Sunday night, suspecting Israeli settlers of the act.

Israeli media reported Tuesday that Israeli police suspected was a "price tag" operation by nearby settlers wishing to protest Israel's West Bank policies.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321290

[provis99]

7. reminds me of a quote from Apocalypse Now.

It's a way we had over here for living with ourselves. We cut 'em in half with a machine gun and give 'em a Band-Aid. It was a lie.

[oberliner]

8. Except they didn't do anything wrong

The people who gave the donation did not commit the arson.