Palestinians terrorists apparently set fire to a synagogue and burned Torah scrolls in an Israeli community in Judea. International leaders have yet to condemn the incident.
Palestinian terrorists are suspected in the arson of a synagogue in which the holy Torah scrolls were destroyed on Friday night in the Israeli community of Karmei Tsur in Gush Etzion.
A security patrol discovered the fire late Friday and quickly worked to extinguish it, but extensive damage was already done.
There were no injuries, as the attack occurred after prayers had ended.
The terrorists piled the Torah scrolls together and set them on fire.
Interior of the desecrated synagogue. (Avraham Weiss/TPS)
The same synagogue has been targeted in the past, but had not caused such far-reaching damage.
Palestinians terrorists are suspected in all incidents. Nearby Palestinian homes are located only a few hundreds yards away from the synagogue.
Members of the community expressed fury, warning that such potentially lethal attacks could reoccur.
“It is hard to come to terms with the fact that such an incident, which is reminiscent of dark periods, occurred in the heart of the land. We can and we must put an end to this,” the community said in a statement.
David Perl, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said he was deeply shaken by the incident, adding that he was “sure the Holocaust survivors who experienced Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany and then came to Israel and established Gush Etzion did not dream that scenes of burnt Torah scrolls would happen here, in the Land of Israel and under Israeli sovereignty.”
Perl called on the government to put an end to the Arab violence. He also demanded broad international condemnation for “this shocking and heinous hate crime.”
“We will prosecute the perpetrators of this crime,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed. “I expect the international community to condemn the desecration of a synagogue, an act that is the result of incessant Palestinian incitement.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said that this incident shows an intent to harm Jews all over the country. “We cannot accept ghastly images such as these. The terrorists who carried out this attack wish to attack us as Jews. It does not matter to them where in Israel we live.”
To date the world’s leaders have remained silent on this disturbing incident.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel