Israeli settlers vandalise Palestinian homes with 'death to Arabs' graffiti

The group targeted the villages of al-Laban, al-Sharqiya and al-Aswiya, south of Nablus city, vandalising a mosque and slashing tyres of 30 vehicles.

Local sources told The New Arab's sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed the settlers tried to remove the doors of a village mosque with the intention of burning them, as well as defacing the walls of houses and cars with racist slogans including "Death to the Arabs" and "Revenge".

Other messages included "Expel or kill" and "Enough with administrative orders", referring to measures to prevent settler violence including detention, bans from entering the West Bank, and bans on contacting certain individuals, as well as nightly curfews.

Security sources told the Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa that Israeli forces raided Nablus and invaded Tal Balata and Joseph's Tomb, which they claim to be a Jewish shrine.

A Palestinian was injured after being shot by Israeli soldiers during clashes at Joseph's Tomb, east of Nablus.

Palestinian and Israeli control of the West Bank [click to enlarge]

Israeli forces also arrested a number of Palestinian youth in Nablus and other parts of the occupied territory following the settler attack.

The vandalism spree follows clashes on Sunday night in the city which left five Palestinians injured after being shot by Israeli forces with rubber coated steel bullets.

The area surrounding Nablus has one of the highest concentrations of Israeli settlements and has often been a flashpoint for violence.