Israel settlers attack West Bank mosque - authorities

Israeli settlers attempted to set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian religious affairs ministry and a local official said, in the second such incident in under a month.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs said the incident in the village of Duma, near Nablus in the north of the West Bank, involved an "arson attack on the Duma mosque and racist graffiti on its walls".

In a statement posted on social media, the ministry warned of "the systematic increase in attempts to burn mosques in the West Bank during the current month of Ramadan", the Muslim holy month.

The Israeli police said they had opened an investigation into the incident.

An AFP journalist reported fire damage at the entrance of the mosque.

Graffiti on one of the exterior walls read: "From the Or Nahman synagogue," in an apparent reference to a recently dismantled synagogue in an illegal West Bank settler outpost.

A Star of David was also drawn on the wall in black.

The head of the Duma village council, Suleiman Dawabsheh, told AFP that a group of settlers had arrived around 2:30 am (0030 GMT) and "tried to set fire to the mosque, were it not for God's grace and the vigilance of the residents."

He said the attempted arson was part of "a series of attacks".

Israeli police said officers were on Thursday morning "called to the village of Duma... following a delayed report and documentation of suspects who set fire to a mosque and sprayed graffiti, with no casualties".

It said it had opened an investigation.

In late February, Israeli settlers attempted to set fire to a mosque in the West Bank village of Tell, the Palestinian ministry of religious affairs said.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.

Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

While most Israeli settlers do not engage in violence, a small but militant fringe has been linked to attacks on Palestinians.

The current Israeli government, considered one of the most right-wing in the country's history, has fast-tracked settlement expansion and recognised some outposts.