Israeli officials condemn mosque burning

JERUSALEM, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Israel's prime minister and defense minister condemned the torching of a West Bank mosque and demanded the perpetrators be caught.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned the attack on the al-Anbiya mosque in Beit Fajar near Bethlehem and called on security officials to track down those responsible.

Vandals set fire to the mosque and vandalized the building before dawn Monday, scrawling "price tag" and "revenge" on the walls. Carpets in the mosque and copies of the Koran were burned, witnesses told Haaretz .

Defense Minister Ehud Barak labeled the perpetrators terrorists "intent on harming any chance for peace and dialogue with the Palestinians. This was a disgraceful act and a stain on the state of Israel and its values."

Alaa Tamimi, the chief prosecutor in the Bethlehem district, said the Palestinian Authority would investigate, Ma'an news agency said.