AJC Calls Israeli Arab Mosque Attack Despicable Crime

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Oct 03, 2011, 08:40 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC called an arson attack on an Israeli Arab mosque a despicable hate crime.

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"This assault on a Muslim house of worship in Israel, which has gone to great lengths to protect freedom of worship and foster a spirit of mutual respect, is outrageous," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "The perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The fire last night badly damaged the mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangariyye in northern Israel. The arson comes after similar attacks on West Bank mosques last month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, opposition leader Tzipi Livni, and leading rabbis immediately condemned the Tuba mosque attack.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee