Jerusalem hit with second 'Price Tag' attack in 2 weeks
MK Rachel Azaria called the "violent and harmful incident" unacceptable.
By UDI SHAHAMUpdated: JANUARY 28, 2018 02:44A vandalized wall in Jerusalem that reads "Death to Arabs - Price Tag" (photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
Early Friday morning a car was burned and “Death to Arabs, price tag” was spray-painted in Hebrew on a wall in the Arab neighborhood of Beit Safafa in southern Jerusalem.Police opened an investigation into the incident. “Police investigators and Division of Identification and Forensic Science personnel arrived at the scene. All investigation options are being examined,” a statement said.MK Rachel Azaria (Kulanu), a former Jerusalem deputy mayor, said: “This violent and harmful incident that happened in Beit Safafa in Jerusalem is unacceptable. I expect that police will seriously investigate its background, arrest those involved and handle them forcefully,” she said.“I do not know who these people are who are interested in fanning the flames, but as a resident of the adjacent Katamonim neighborhood, I can testify that we are good neighbors – and we all want to keep it that way,” she added.A week earlier, several cars were vandalized in the village of Beit Iksa, located dozens of meters away from the capital’s northern Ramot neighborhood.The cars were vandalized with spray paint, with phrases such as “Death to all Arabs” and “Revenge” on them. Some vehicles’ tires were slashed.Unlike other Palestinian villages in the area, Beit Iksa is not surrounded by the security barrier, and some of its residents have Israeli ID cards and residency.According to B’Tselem, a checkpoint has been in place at the entrance to the village, and restrictions on movement imposed on its residents, mainly when it comes to their access to Jerusalem, which is their main place of work.Following the vandalism, some 20 activists from the Tag Meir NGO visited the village as an act of solidarity.Tag Meir chairman Gadi Gevaryahu said during the visit that the group expected police to find the criminals and bring them to trial.
“A bit of light rejects the darkness,” he said, in a play on words on his group’s name, Tag Meir, or “The Tag of Light.” “We were happy to meet new friends from Beit Iksa who were hurt in a price-tag incident. We received a warm and grateful welcome, and we promised to deepen our friendship, and to walk in the path of peace.”
