Israel chief rabbi condemns mosque blaze in rare West Bank visit

Israel chief rabbi visits mosque that was torched

YASUF, West Bank — Israel’s chief rabbi has made a rare visit to a Palestinian village to condemn a mosque blaze that Palestinians say was carried out by Jewish West Bank settlers.

Rabbi Yona Metzger said during his visit to Yasuf on Monday that the Jewish people are particularly sensitive to such issues because their holy places were targeted by the Nazis.

Unknown vandals set the mosque ablaze last week in what appears to be retaliation for a government-ordered slowdown on Jewish settlement construction. The vandals escaped and no arrests have been made.

About 200 Palestinians stood in the center of this farming village to watch the arrival of the rabbi’s convoy. The sight of Israelis other than soldiers is extremely rare in such villages.