by The Commentator on 20 May 2013 10:35

Israel's Tazpit News Agency this morning reported that hundreds of residents of the Gush Etzion area were "astounded" to find a Nazi flag flyingnext to a mosque in the Palestinian town of Beit Ummar. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were notified immediately, claims the report.

The flag, as can be seen from the image provided, was found by residents who were driving to Jerusalem on Monday morning. Reports suggest the flag had been up on the pole since "early morning hours". As of two hours ago, the flag remained.

Local resident Uri Arnon told Tazpit: "I felt we were going back 75 years, losing our hold on the land. The Arabs no longer feel the need to hide their murderous tendencies, announcing out loud that they wish to destroy us."

An IDF spokesman said that the flag was hung on an electrical line, and that they were wating to proffesionals to come and remove it.

Gush Etzion is a cluster of Israeli settlements south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. It consists of around 70,000 people.

Beit Ummar has a population of around 15,000 citizens and straddles Areas B and C, allowing for both Palestinian civil authority, but Israeli control in part.