Apparent Arson Attack by Jews Reported Amid Rising Violence

Authorities are viewing the torching of a West Bank home on Sunday as a so-called “price-tag” attack – the term used for assaults against Palestinians and Palestinian property by Jewish Israelis in revenge for Palestinian attacks against Jewish targets. Reports from the village of Khirbat Abu Falah indicate that once the perpetrators ascertained that the house was empty, flammable liquid was poured and the house set ablaze. No injuries were reported but slogans including “Death to Arabs” were written on the building. Two Jewish students of the Beit Orot seminary were attacked and moderately injured while walking on the Mt. of Olives on Friday night.  Israelis were angered by a Channel 2 television report revealing that Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour sent a letter of condolence to the families of the two Palestinian men who attacked a Jerusalem synagogue last Tuesday, killing four worshippers and a policeman. Previously, it had been reported that the Jordanian Parliament stood for a moment of silence in memory of the two attackers.