By AP, JPOST.COM STAFFyasuf mosque book 248.88(photo credit: B'Tselem)
Palestinian officials on Friday morning claimed that radical settlers vandalized and set fire to a mosque in a Palestinian village in the West Bank.
Defense officials confirmed that assailants had vandalized the mosque, and the civil administration launched an investigation. The vandals fled the scene.
The attack took place in the village of Yasuf, south of Nablus. The assailants entered the village before dawn Friday, according to police and Munir Abushi, the Palestinian governor of the district of Salfit, where the village is located.
The perpetrators set fire to a carpet and to a library in the mosque's second floor, destroying holy books.
They also sprayed abusive statements in Hebrew on the walls and floor. Graffiti messages included "Price tag - greetings from Effi" and "We will burn the lot of you."
Settler extremists recently began to carry out attacks against Palestinians and their property in response to the government's decision to impose a ten-month moratorium on settlement construction.
They have dubbed the attacks the "price tag policy," often used to denote retaliation for government decisions which curb settlement activity.
The IDF said it views the incident "gravely" and is investigating along with the police.
After villagers discovered the damage, they briefly threw stones at IDF troops that entered Yasuf, Abushi said. He said two villagers were hurt in the skirmish.
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