An early morning arson attack on a mosque in the village of Jaba in the Ramallah district has resulted in widespread condemnation from the highest level of government, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The damage from the blaze is reported as minimal and the Hebrew graffiti including “The war has begun” and “you will pay the price” has led police to believe the attack was a price tag incident connected to extremist elements who align themselves with the right-wing Jewish community.

In the past, many of the so-called “price tag” attacks were learned to be the work of Arabs seeking to inflame the political climate. The Shin Bet, IDF and Israel Police are investigating the latest attack.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)