Jewish extremists accused of slashing tires, graffitiing in Palestinian town
Four vehicles found damaged in Marda, close to West Bank settlement of Ariel; Hebrew graffiti on walls reads: ‘Jews wake up. Arabs out’
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Evidence of a hate crime was found in the Palestinian West Bank town of Marda Wednesday morning, with a number of vehicles vandalized and Hebrew graffiti spray-painted on a wall.
A slogan on a wall read “Jews wake up. Arabs out” next to a Star of David, according to images published by Palestinian media outlets.
The tires on at least four cars were slashed, according to reports.
Marda is located north of the settlement of Ariel.
Police said officers would go to the scene to collect evidence.
Anti-Arab vandalism by Jewish extremists is a common occurrence in the West Bank.
#صور| مستوطنون يعطبون اطارات 4 مركبات ويخطون شعارات عنصرية في قرية مردا شمال سلفيت pic.twitter.com/VH4FYmk6iw
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) August 24, 2022
The Yesh Din rights group accused the Israeli army of “doing nothing” to stop such incidents.
“After dozens of recorded events of settlers attacking Palestinians next to soldiers, this morning’s incident should not surprise anyone. We demand the defense minister urgently intervene and increase enforcement against settler violence,” Yesh Din said.
Incidents of vandalism against Palestinians and Israeli security forces are commonly referred to as “price tag” attacks, with perpetrators claiming that they are retaliation for Palestinian violence or government policies seen as hostile to the settler movement.
Arrests of perpetrators are exceedingly rare and rights groups lament that convictions are even more unusual, with the majority of charges in such cases being dropped.
