Israeli soldiers storm Jenin mosque, mock Muslim call to prayer

Israeli soldiers stormed a mosque in Jenin this week, where they performed Jewish rituals and chanted Hannukah songs over a loud speaker usually used for the Muslim call to prayer.

The incident occurred amid the Israeli army's deadly raid of the the occupied West Bank city, which has killed at least 12 Palestinians, including two minors.

The incursion began on Tuesday and ended some time on Thursday, when the reportedly incident took place.

One soldier was heard signing the songs related to the ongoing Hanukkah holiday, as well as a significant Jewish prayer called 'Shema  Yisrael', the Times of Israel reported, as they stood at the pulpit, where the muezzin typically makes the Muslim call to prayer.

In another clip, one soldier can be seen sitting on the floor of the empty mosque and speaking into a microphone that projected his voice into the surrounding neighbourhood. "In the name of God, the merciful. Here is the spokesperson of the IDF," he says.

Israeli troops took over a Palestinian mosque in Jenin and have filmed themselves chanting Jewish prayers on the mosque loudspeaker. pic.twitter.com/Q2yj9wsovu

— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) December 14, 2023

The mosque, located in Jenin’s refugee camp, was also subject to offensive graffiti and vandalisation. Some of the graffiti read "greetings from the Gaza envelope" and "we came to eat hummus".

The soldiers' act mocking Muslim practices sparked a wave of international condemnation, including Israel’s long-term ally, the US.

Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, said Washington was "concerned" about the video and that the content was "not appropriate".

The video was also condemned by the Palestinian Authority (PA), the UN and Turkey.

"Israeli occupation forces' desecration of a mosque in the Jenin camp is shameful and condemnable behaviour", Palestinian presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah said.

The spokesperson also urged the US and the international community to "put pressure on Israel to stop violations against Palestinian people, their property and their sanctities."

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

Ahmed Tibi, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset, described the Israeli soldier’s behavior as despicable, and asked: "What security does these actions give you?".

Activists also slammed the incident, with many calling an "an insult" to Palestinian Muslims, as well as the global Muslim population.

The soldiers' actions were praised by extreme far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Minister of National Security, who has a track record of making racist and incendiary remarks on Palestinians, posted the video on his Telegram channel with the caption: "A prayer performed by our heroic soldiers in a mosque in Jenin."

According to Israeli media, the soldiers were removed from operational duty, while a probe has been launched into the incident, said an army spokesperson.

Jenin has witnessed a spike in Israeli incursions and violence in recent weeks, as Tel Aviv's war on Gaza began on October 7 which has killed at least 18,787 Palestinians.

At least 282 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed since, with close to 4,000 arrested.