Hackers commandeered the Bank of Israel Web site early Friday and filled it with virtual graffiti in Arabic defaming Israel.

Web surfers who attempted to access the site Friday morning were met with Arabic scrawlings that the anonymous vandals placed on the site. The Bank of Israel has taken down the site until the glitch could be fixed.

Dr. Yossi Saadon, a bank spokesperson, said: "The matter is being taken care of."

"The bank's information systems and content systems are separate, and the damage only affects external web users. There is no possibility of damage being inflicted on the Bank of Israel's internal content," he added.