Ashrawi denounces Israel torching mosque

PLO Executive Committee member and Palestinian lawmaker, Hanan Ashrawi, strongly denounced the recent torching and vandalism of the al-Nebi Akasha mosque in Jerusalem and al-Noor mosque in the village of Burqa, northeast of Ramallah, Thursday said a press release. It said that Ashrawi stated,  “Such radical acts of hatred are extremely deplorable and signify serious violations of the human and religious rights of the Palestinian people.  These are not isolated incidents, but rather they fit a longstanding pattern of settler extremism and the terrorization of Palestinians and their holy sites.” She added that “it must be emphasized that it is not only the settlers who bear responsibility for the unruliness; the inability of the Israeli government to hold these settlers accountable is contrary to the basic moral values and legal principles that must be adopted by a supposed honorable democracy.” “ It is evident that the government of Israel is not serious about the two-state solution and that settler extremists are turning this into a religious conflict, thereby destroying any and all prospects for achieving a solution.  Israel and its settler population are not above the law and these crimes of war and hatred must cease immediately before it is too late,” said Ashrawi. She concluded, “We call on the Quartet and the international community not just to condemn these acts of religious intolerance and bigotry, but to hold Israel and its settler population liable for their violations of the rights and protections of the Palestinians.  As long as Israel continues to create facts on the ground intentionally devised to obstruct peace, returning to negotiations is unthinkable and no Palestinian state can be viable.”