RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli officials say a blaze last month at a West Bank mosque most likely resulted from an electrical problem, not arson.
The Nov. 12 fire destroyed the first floor of the mosque in the village of Mughayer, and residents accused Jewish settlers of setting the blaze.
Fire Services spokesman Asaf Abras said Monday that fire investigators, working with Israeli police and the Shin Bet security service, believe the fire was an accident.
Abras says investigators found no combustible materials or graffiti at the site. Such items would point to settler vandalism.
But the village’s mayor, Faraj al-Naasan, disputed the findings. He says residents have “strong reason” to believe it was a settler attack because they have carried out other violence in the past.
