Palestinians and the Israeli military say another mosque has been torched in the West Bank and defaced by Hebrew graffiti.

The governor of Ramallah, Laila Ghanam, says the mosque in the nearby village of Burqa was doused with gasoline and set afire on Thursday. The Israeli military says carpets and chairs were burned.

Open gallery view The burnt mosque in the West Bank village of Burqa, December 15, 2011. Credit: Iad Hadad, B'Tselem

Suspicion fell on Jewish extremists suspected in multiple acts of violence against Palestinians and the military.

Earlier on Thursday, the IDF and Border Police dismantled two illegal buildings in the West Bank outpost of Mitzpeh Yitzhar.

The area around the outpost was declared a closed military zone, in order to prevent anyone from obstructing the demolition.

Army Radio reported security forces did not meet with any violent opposition, and that no major clashes resulted from the demolition of the buildings, one of which was a residential structure.

next previous 8 of 8 | Right wing activists scuffle with police in Jerusalem Credit: Emil Salman 1 of 8 | Torched mosque in the village of Burqa, West Bank Credit: Iyad Hadad, B'Tselem 2 of 8 | Torched mosque in the village of Burqa, West Bank Credit: Iyad Hadad, B'Tselem

Some 50 settlers and right-wing activists entered a key West Bank military base early Tuesday morning and threw rocks, burned tires, and vandalized military vehicles.

The settlers were acting in response to a rumor that the IDF would act to evict a West Bank settlement in accordance with an August Supreme Court ruling.

