Vandals torched a mosque in northern occupied Palestine in a suspected “price tag” attack by right-wing extremists

Vandals torched a mosque in northern occupied Palestine in a suspected “price tag” attack by right-wing extremists on Monday, Israeli police said.

Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told AFP that a number of suspects entered the mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangaria and set it on fire, causing heavy damage to the carpets and walls.

On the outside of the mosque were scrawled the words "price tag" and "revenge" in Hebrew, Rosenfeld said.

Rabbis from the nearby town of Safed were blamed for incitement against Arabs.

Hardline Jewish settlers have adopted what they call a "price tag" policy under which they attack Palestinians and their property in response to Israeli government alleged measures against settlements. Police described the attack as "a very severe price tag incident"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, saying such incidences "do not belong in the state of Israel."

"This is an act which is against the values of the state of Israel, which places supreme importance on freedom of religion and freedom of worship," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying in a statement.

The attack sparked anger in the village, with a few hundred residents burning tires and trying to block a road in the area, police said. Protesters threw stones at police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowds.