Around 70 graves at two Palestinian Christian cemeteries in the West Bank village of Jiffna desecrated by vandals.

Palestinian authorities have called it a "rare attack" on the occupied territory's Christian minority.

  
A Greek Orthodox official said he believed the vandalism was a one-off incident:

[George Abdo, Greek Orthodox Church Official]:
"When we arrived this morning to attend holy mass, we were surprised with the desecration of the graves of the Christian dead in this cemetery. Out of the 200 graves, about 70 were destroyed and their crosses broken. This is the first time Christian property has been attacked by trouble-makers attempting to create a bad mood in society here."

Christians are a tiny minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim West Bank, but one resident said relations between the two groups were generally good:

[George Abdo, Christian Resident of Jiffna]:
"This is an unacceptable act. But of course this does not reflect the harmony that residents of Jiffna enjoy, and does not reflect the nature of the life that we live. We live Muslims and Christians side by
side."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

About two thirds of Jiffna's 1,600 inhabitants are Christians from either Greek Orthodox of Catholic communities.

Many Palestinian Christians have emigrated in recent decades to escape the pressures of conflict and Israeli occupation.

During a pilgrimage to the region earlier this month, Pope Benedict called on Christians not to abandon the Holy Land.