B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International decries the recent arson attack on an Israeli Arab mosque as an appalling hate crime.

The mosque attack in the quiet northern Israeli Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangariyye, included anti-Muslim graffiti, burned carpeting, damaged interior walls and destroyed copies of the Koran. These actions follow on the heels of similar West Bank mosque attacks in the last month.

This attack symbolizes hatred and intolerance. Israeli Arabs, many of whom live in northern Israel, comprise 20 percent of Israel’s population of 7.6 million. B’nai B’rith International hopes those responsible for the attack will be found and prosecuted in a timely manner. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Israel’s internal security agency to swiftly track down the perpetrators.

Such aggression against any religion’s sanctuary of worship and respect is inexcusable and should never be tolerated.