Palestinian media outlets reported Thursday that settlers graffitied and attempted to set fire overnight to a mosque in the village of Duma, near Nablus in the northern West Bank.

Footage circulating online showed Hebrew graffiti sprayed at the entrance of the mosque reading: “From the Or Nahman synagogue,” a reference to a synagogue that was recently dismantled in an illegal West Bank outpost.

Damage was caused to the entrance to the mosque, and no injuries were reported in the incident.

Israel Police said it opened an investigation into the incident, adding that it “completely condemns these kinds of incidents, including harm to religious sites.” The alleged arson attempt comes as Palestinians and Israeli activists who support them have reported ongoing harassment by extremist settlers in areas around Duma.

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs said in a statement that there is a “systematic increase in attempts to burn mosques in the West Bank during the current month of Ramadan,” according to a report in Wafa, the Palestinian Authority news agency. It said the attacks are an attempt “to seize Palestinian land by undermining the security and resilience of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank.”

The report identified the building as the Mohammad Fayyad Mosque.........

© The Times of Israel