Palestinians have torched a Jewish holy site in the West Bank city of Nablus, amid soaring tensions with Israel.
Rioters
set fire to a tomb which Jews revere as that of the biblical figure
Joseph. Firefighters put out the blaze but the site was badly damaged.
It came hours after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinian leadership to stop a wave of attacks.
There have been near-daily stabbings by Palestinians of Israelis this month, as violence between the two sides spirals.
Seven
Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in stabbings and
shootings. At least 30 Palestinians, including several of the attackers,
have also been killed in the growing unrest.
The upsurge began
last month when tensions at a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem revered
by Jews and Muslims boiled over amid rumours Israel planned to relax
long-standing rules to increase Jewish rights at the complex. Israel has
repeatedly denied such claims.
Joseph's Tomb
Revered by Jews and Muslims as the burial place of the biblical figure Joseph, son of Jacob
Located in a compound in the city of Nablus, transferred to Palestinian control in 1995
Ransacked and burnt by Palestinian rioters at start of second uprising in Oct, 2000
Jewish pilgrims permitted to visit at night, once a month, under Israeli military protection
In the night-time attack in Nablus, tens of Palestinians overran the tomb, attacking it with petrol bombs.
Palestinian police dispersed the crowd and firefighters extinguished the blaze before Israeli security forces arrived.
Israel's military spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner said the attack was "a blatant violation of the basic value of freedom of worship".
He said Israel would "bring perpetrators to justice and restore the site".
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Israel has set up roadblocks in East Jerusalem to try to stop further attacks
This is not the first time the tomb has come under
attack. Palestinians tried to set fire to it again last year and
virtually destroyed the site in 2000 after Israeli guards withdrew amid
clashes.
It comes amid a major security operation by Israel to try to stop attacks on its citizens by Palestinians.
Roadblocks
have been set up in Palestinian areas of East Jerusalem, where many of
the attackers have come from, and hundreds of extra troops will be
deployed on the streets on Sunday.
Hours before the attack in
Nablus, Mr Netanyahu called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas to stop what he said was incitement to violence.
Mr Abbas has said Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas and "aggression" is to blame for the unrest.
Meanwhile the UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the upsurge of violence.
The
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said he planned to travel to the
region in the next few days, amid reports that a meeting may take place
in Jordan to include the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Are you in Nablus? Have you been affected by the issues in this story? You can share your comments and experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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