On Tuesday a number of Israeli Rabbis visited the mosque that Israeli settlers burned in the village of Beit Fajjar near Bethlehem on Monday. Governor of Bethlehem Abdul Fattah Hamayel, Muslim clergy and representatives of the families of the village welcomed the delegation of rabbis.The rabbis condemned the settler’s act saying it is not part of the Jewish religion’s values. They gave the Imam of the Mosque a gift of a number of copies of the Muslim’s Holy Quran.
A group of settlers said to be from he Gush Etzion settlement, set the mosque on fire on Monday apparently as part of their so called “price-tag” operation, which targets mosques in the West Bank.
The delegation included Rabbi Lichtenstein from Gush Etzion, Rabbi Menachem Fruman from Tekoa, Efrat’s Chief Rabbi Shlomi Rifkin and Rabbi Shlomo Brin from Yeshivat Har Etzion. The Rabbis were escorted by Israeli troops and by Palestinian police deployed in the area during their visit.
The governor of Bethlehem welcomed the Rabbis and said there is a need for real action by Israel and the Israelis to stop the settler violence.
U.S State Department spokesperson, Philip Crowley, said that the United states strongly denounces the torching of the mosque, and called on prosecuting the assailants.
