A/HRC/13/53 C. Attack on Hassan Hader Mosque 26. One of the worst incidents of settler violence following establishment of the freeze has been the burning of Hassan Hader Mosque in Yasuf village south of Nablus, on the night of 11 December 2009. The library of the mosque was burned, destroying copies of the Koran and other holy objects.42 Graffiti written on the walls confirmed that this was a socalled “price-tag” punitive act against Palestinians, with the aim of offsetting the burdens imposed on settlers by the freeze. As a supporter of the arson, Rabbi Yosef Elitzur of a yeshiva in Yitzhar explained: “If the Jews don’t have quiet – the Arabs won’t have quiet either; if the Arabs win because of violence against Jews, Jews will win because of violence against Arabs.”43 By and large, however, Jewish leaders, including the Prime Minister and President, decried the crime against the mosque and called for an investigation and punishment of the arsonists.44 Many rabbis, including several from nearby settlements, have denounced the crime, calling it “a distortion of Jewish values” and proclaiming that religious sites are inviolate, being outside the domain of national struggle.45 Robert Serry, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, made the following comment on the incident: “Desecrating a place of worship is deplorable. This attack is part of a broader and ongoing phenomenon of settler violence against Palestinian civilians, property, and land. Far too little is being done by Israeli authorities to enforce the rule of law on violent extremists, leading to a climate of impunity.”46 There have been dozens of other “price-tag” incidents occasioned by the freeze, involving settler violence against Palestinian property and agriculture, especially olive trees that the occupying Power is obligated to protect as a matter of the highest priority.47 Furthermore, there have been concerns related to insufficient protection from Israeli security forces and limited investigations. D. East Jerusalem settlements 27. The initial observation is to take note of the original effort to persuade the Government of Israel to place a temporary ban on all settlement growth, including East Jerusalem. To include East Jerusalem would have demonstrated at least some openness to allowing the Palestinians to look forward to a state with Jerusalem as its capital. To persist with “natural growth,” especially when linked with the West Bank freeze, the accelerated rate of house demolitions and evictions and the denial of residency rights to Palestinians, seems to convey an unwillingness on the part of Israel to include any provision for a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem in a negotiated end to the conflict. This impression is 42 43 44 45 46 47 12 2009, available at http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/article/palestinians_try_to_wean_themselves_ off_west_bank_settlements_20091214/. “Settlers attack West Bank mosque and burn holy Muslim books”, The Times, 11 December 2009, available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6953281.ece. “The people who want to set things ablaze”, Ynet, available at http://www.kibush.co.il/ show_file.asp?num=37197. “Netanyahu to officials: catch ‘criminals’ behind mosque attack”, Haaretz, 19 December 2009, available at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1134455.html. See for instance “IDF on high alert after mosque arson”, The Jerusalem Post, 12 December 2009, available at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260447421277&pagename=JPArticle% 2FShowFull. UN Daily News. 14 December 2009, available at http://www.un.org/news/dh/pdf/english/2009/ 14122009.pdf. See for instance OCHA publications, e.g. Protection of Civilians, for updated information. All reports are available at http://www.ochaopt.org. GE.10-10260