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U.S. condemns attack on mosque in West Bank

20 June 2012 01:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The United States on Tuesday denounced the "provocative attack" on a mosque in the West Bank, calling on Israeli authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s provocative attack on a mosque in the West Bank village of Kfar Jabaa near Ramallah," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

"Hateful, dangerous and provocative actions such as these are never justified," she said in a written statement.

Unknown vandals set fire to the mosque early Tuesday morning, damaging the structure, and sprayed Hebrew slogans against a pending evacuation at a disputed settlement neighborhood.

Hardcore pro-settlement activists, often referred to as " hilltop youth," have committed scores of similar attacks against Palestinian, Israeli Arab and Israeli army property. They have dubbed them "price tag" attacks, meant to exact a cost for the government’s demolitions of settlement homes deemed illegal.

A statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s office condemned the attack, saying "This was the work of intolerant, irresponsible lawbreakers. We will act quickly in order to bring them to justice."

"We note that the Israeli government has condemned this heinous attack and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice," Nuland said. "We look to Israeli law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously."