Assailants vandalize mosque, holy books in West Bank

Jerusalem: Israeli police say assailants have vandalised a mosque in a Palestinian village in the West Bank.

Extremist colonists 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 US pressure, angering many settlers.