Christian cemetery targeted in ‘price tag’ attack

Gravestones were vandalized Wednesday night in a price tag attack on a Christian Orthodox cemetery in Jaffa. The headstones were spray-painted with Stars of David and the words “revenge” and “price tag.” Similar slogans were sprayed on a nearby residential building, and the tires of five cars parked nearby were slashed.

Tel Aviv police said they launched an investigation into the incident.

Though “price tag” attacks are generally carried out by Jewish extremists against Palestinian property, this is not the first time a Christian establishment has been targeted. Last month, vandals spray-painted epithets on the outer walls of the Dormition Abbey, which is located just outside Jerusalem’s Old City. Graffiti on the church’s walls read “Christians are monkeys” and were signed “Havat Maon,” the name of a West Bank outpost.

Perpetrators of price tag attacks say they’re retaliating for Israeli government decisions that they perceive as being against the West Bank settlements. The attacks aim to exact a “price” for government actions that the extremists oppose, like the demolition of outposts.