The Board of Deputies has deplored an arson attack on a West Bank mosque which is thought to have been the work of Jewish militants.

There could be "no excuse for this heinous act, which included the desecration of Islam's holiest text", a statement from the Board said.

The assault on the mosque in Beit Fajar was "clearly the work of extremists who are intent on derailing the peace process through violence and religious intolerance, just as surely as those who target Jews and Jewish sites as in the recent West Bank shootings," the Board declared. "This is a stark reminder that extremism on all sides is repugnant and not to be tolerated."