US condemns attack against Palestinian mosque

The U.S. condemned here Wednesday the acts of vandalism that were committed against a Palestinian mosque in the West Bank on Tuesday. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters "we believe that such hateful and provocative actions against a place of worship are never justified." "We look to Israel law enforcement officials to quickly investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this attack," she remarked. Harf stressed "we encourage local authorities to work together with the community to reduce tension, to defend religious freedom, and to work against incitement." He added "we agree with the sentiment of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land that any attacks on the sites of one religion are, in effect, an attack on all religions."