Vandals leave anti-Arab grafitti on Israel mosque

Vandals left anti-Arab graffiti on a mosque in northern Israel overnight and damaged a door on the building, AFP reports according to police.

"There was an incident in which graffiti was written on a mosque in the city of Umm al-Faham," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, adding that the words "Arabs Out" were painted in Hebrew.

"Such incidents aim to harm relations between Arabs and Jews," Israeli news site Ynet quoted the mosque's imam, Jamil Mahagna, as saying.

"We demand the arrest of the criminals," he added.

It was the latest in a string of racist and religious attacks over the past few weeks.

Earlier this month suspected Jewish extremists slashed the tyres of around 40 cars in an Arab village in northern Israel, and a Roman Catholic convent west of Jerusalem was vandalised by attackers who sprayed offensive graffiti on the walls and damaged five nearby cars.

Last month vandals slashed the tyres of more than 40 cars in Arab east Jerusalem, spraying a slogan reading: "Gentiles in the land are enemies."