Right-wing Israelis vandalise landmark Jaffa mosque

A landmark mosque in the ancient city of Jaffa, adjacent to Tel Aviv, was vandalised overnight by a group of right-wing Israelis, reported Wafa news agency.

Ahmed Abu Ajweh, imam of Hassan Bek Mosque, shared two photos on Facebook to show the Star of David and the Israeli flag spray-painted on the mosque’s walls.

He slammed the act of vandalism as a “fascist assault” and held Israeli forces responsible for the attack, since an army patrol was deployed nearby, but stood idly by.

Palestinians living in Israel accuse Israeli police of negligence in prosecuting perpetrators of such attacks.

Hassan Bek Mosque, located in the Manshiyya neighbourhood of the historically Palestinian Jaffa, has been the subject of attacks in the past.

Last year, the imam shared a video revealing smashed windows and damaged carpets as a result of Israeli vandalism.

Right-wing Israelis and settlers have, in recent years, carried out similar attacks in the occupied West Bank and Arab cities and towns in Israel in what has become known as “price tag” attacks.

The term refers to extremist Jewish settlers’ use of violent acts on Palestinians and their property to demonstrate their opposition to Israeli restrictions on illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank.

Arab Israelis constitute about 20 per cent of Israel’s population.

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