Assailants Vandalize West Bank Mosque

Friday, December 11, 2009 at 3:09 pm

JERUSALEM: Israeli police say assailants have vandalized a mosque in a Palestinian village in the West Bank.

Settler extremists have recently attacked Palestinians and their property in response to Israeli government moves to curb settlement construction. They have dubbed the attacks the “price tag” policy.

Israeli police spokesman Gili Elhadad says the vandals also desecrated holy books in the mosque in the village of Yasuf early Friday. He says the incident is being investigated but the vandals were not caught.

The West Bank is controlled by Israeli forces, with Palestinians allowed limited autonomy in some areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved to scale back settlement construction under U.S. pressure, angering many settlers.