Israeli right-wing activists clash with police following mosque attack

Israeli right-wing activists clash with police following mosque attack

2011-12-15 07:53:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) -- Dozens of right-wing activists clashed with police in the Israeli capital of Jerusalem on Wednesday, hours after a mosque was vandalized, local media reported. Several arrests were made.

The activists, some of whom were expelled from a West Bank settlement, slashed the tires and smashed the windows of several police vehicles outside a Jerusalem apartment. A total of six rioters were arrested and taken into custody, officials said.

According to police, several youths sought to confront officers who arrived at the apartment. The right-wing activists, however, claimed that police officers had hurled several activists through the first-floor window of the apartment, where officers found weapon-like models.

One of the neighbors, who was only identified as Daniel, told the Haaretz newspaper that police are "chasing 20-year-olds around instead of looking for real criminals," while adding that the youths were not violent. "These were people who were legally expelled and moved here," he said. "They have to live somewhere. This is the first time I have ever seen police officers acting without a warrant or due documents."

The clashes took place just hours after a mosque of historical significance was set alight in central Jerusalem. Arsonists set fire to the deserted mosque and spray-painted anti-Islamic phrases and Hebrew slogans such as "Muhammad is Dead," "Muhammad is a Pig" and "Price Tag."

Wednesday's incidents are the latest in a surge of violence by Jewish extremists. On Tuesday, some 50 settlers and right-wing activists stormed a military base in the West Bank after rumors spread that the Israeli military was preparing to evict a settlement.

The settlers were acting in response to a rumor that the IDF would act to evict the largest outpost in the West Bank in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling in August. The court ruled that the state must complete the evacuation of Migron, which has a total population of 280 people, by March 31, 2012, since it was "illegally constructed on private land."

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