Palestinian presidency accuses Israeli troops of ‘shameful desecration’ in mosque

The Palestinian presidency on Thursday condemned what it called the “shameful desecration” of a mosque in the occupied West Bank by Israeli troops who were seen reciting a Jewish prayer.

Video footage obtained by AFP showed soldiers inside a mosque in Jenin refugee camp using loudspeakers to recite the Shema Yisrael, a central prayer in Judaism.

Towards the end of the clip, laughter can be heard as troops walk outside the mosque and a Hanukkah song rings out from the loudspeaker.

It was not clear when the footage was filmed but Israeli forces were engaged in a deadly raid in Jenin this week that saw 11 Palestinians killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

“Israeli occupation forces’ desecration of a mosque in the Jenin camp is shameful and condemnable behavior,” Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.

He warned against “dragging the region into a religious war” and of “the repercussions of these attacks.”

“The flames of religious war that Israel seeks to ignite will not be limited to Palestinian region only, but will extend to the entire world if it remains silent about Israel’s crimes and violations of the rights of Palestinian people.”

Abu Rudeineh called on the international community and the United States to “put pressure on Israel to stop its violations against Palestinian people, their property and their sanctities.”

The Israeli army said the soldiers involved had been removed from operational duties to face disciplinary procedures.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement: “Steps will be taken accordingly against those who don’t act according to IDF (army) values.”

In Gaza, where Israel is engaged in fierce fighting with Hamas and has shelled the territory for weeks, the Hamas antiquities ministry estimates more than 100 mosques have been destroyed.