Military: Israeli Settlers Attack Army Base, Jordan Border Site

Jewish settlers attacked an army base overnight on rumors troops were to destroy a settlement outpost, hours after another group broke into a military zone on the Jordan border, officials said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the military said a group of around 50 people had attacked the Ephraim base near Qalqilya in the northern West Bank.

"Overnight, approximately 50 rightwing activists infiltrated the Ephraim regional division headquarters, set fire to tires and damaged vehicles with stones, bottles of point and by placing nails on the road," it said.

"In addition, rocks were thrown at the Ephraim regional division commander's vehicle. The commander was not injured," the army said, condemning the attack.

The incident took place after rumors reportedly began circling in the settler community that troops were poised to dismantle several outposts set up without Israeli government permission.

It was the latest in a slew of revenge attack by settlers, which for the most part targeted Palestinian and Arab property, including mosques, but which has also been directed at leftwing Israeli activists and the military.

These so-called "price-tag" attacks, usually carried out in response to measures against settlements, have been condemned by Israeli leaders, but the Palestinians say little action has been taken to prosecute those responsible.

The military urged local council heads and the community rabbis to take a stand against such "extremely severe" incidents.

"Violence that targets the IDF (Israel Defense Force) and its soldiers prevents the IDF from focusing solely on its primary mission -- protecting the state of Israel and its residents -- and is seen as extremely severe."

The incident came several hours after a group of rightwing activists broke into the Qasr al-Yahud site, where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was baptized, inside a military zone along Israel's border with Jordan.

Police said a group of around 30 settlers entered the site on Monday evening to protest Muslim opposition to the closure of a controversial ramp leading to the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

Palestinian officials responded angrily to news of the ramp's closure after the Jerusalem municipality ordered it shut, saying it was unsafe and at risk of collapse or catching fire.

Muslim leaders say the demolition could have a destabilizing effect on the mosque compound and accuse Israel of failing to coordinate the renovation with the Waqf, which oversees Islamic heritage sites.

"This is a serious step that shows the Zionist scheme of aggression again the al-Aqsa mosque," Fawzi Barhum told Agence France Presse. "This is a violent act that amounts to a declaration of religious war on the Muslim holy places in Jerusalem."