Jewish supplicants deface Palestinian graves

Jewish supplicants damaged headstones in a Palestinian cemetery. A number of worshippers broke off from a group of 1,300 praying Friday at the tomb of Joshua in Kifel Hares, near the West Bank settlement of Ariel, and entered an adjacent Palestinian cemetery. Yediot Achronot quoted local Palestinians as saying that the raiders smashed some tombstones and defaced others with slogans, including “Death to the Arabs!” Yediot confirmed the account with the army, which had secured the Friday pilgrimage to the biblical figure’s reputed burial place. While noting that most of the supplicants behaved well, an army statement said: “To our regret, a number of supplicants chose to create a provocation and damage Palestinian tombstones.” The army statement said it had taken up the matter with leaders of the pilgrimage, who promised to return next week and repair the damage.