Vandals Graffiti Mosque, Torch 3 Cars Near Ariel

Three cars were burned and the words "price tag Gal Arye Yosef" were spray-painted on a mosque wall late Tuesday night. Gal Yosef is an outpost located near Shiloh that has been repeatedly dismantled by the IDF, and was most recently demolished on Monday. During the evacuation and demolition that took place last December, a Torah scroll in one of the homes was desecrated.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak reacted strongly, calling the perpetrators "criminals," and blaming them for trying to "harm the delicate fabric of life between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank.”

David Haivri, director of the Shomron Liaison Office, stressed that the “Shomron Regional Council condemns any violence or vandalism against the IDF and Muslim holy places,” and noted that of the suspects that have been charged for such acts in the past, none resided in the Shomron region.