Israeli police demolish mosque

Israeli police have demolished a mosque in the Arab town of Rahat in the Negev desert. The two-story structure was knocked down before dawn on Sunday following a court ruling stating that it was built without a permit. Police armed with clubs and shields surrounded the area as a bulldozer tore down the mosque. Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said demonstrators trying to stop the demolition had thrown stones at the police, leading to two arrests. Police fired tear-gas and rubber bullets at protesters, Yusuf Abu Jamer, a spokesman for the local branch of the Islamic Movement, said, describing the operation as "criminal and cowardly". "More than 5,000 policemen came here, and they demolished this large mosque ... . During the last month hundreds and thousands of people from Rahat and the entire area came here," Abu Jamer said.