Three Yitzhar teens indicted for 'price tag' in Gush Halav
The teens' indictment said that their vandalism endangered themselves and fueled anger amongst Israeli Arabs.
By BEN HARTMANVehicle vandalized in suspected price tag attack in Yokne'am(photo credit: Courtesy)
Three teenage yeshiva students from Yitzhar were indicted for a “price tag” incident in April, during which the tires of 44 cars were slashed and anti-Arab graffiti was sprayed, in the village of Gush Halav in northern Israel.The indictment, which was presented at the Nazareth juvenile court, says that the three acted out of “racism and hostility towards the Arab public” and that the three carried out the act in part as a reaction to the demolition of three structures in Yitzhar in April.The indictment also said that the acts endangered the youths themselves and created a danger of greater incitement and anger among Arabs in Israel “which can severely harm the state of Israel and its image internationally.”In addition, it said that the damage done by the three youths totaled some NIS 114,000.The three teens, all aged 16 and 17 were arrested about a week and a half ago. All three are students at the Dorshei Yechudcha Yeshiva in Yitzhar, a settlement known for being a hotbed of extremism.The term “price tag” refers to acts of anti-Arab vandalism or violence meant to protest Israeli government policy.Also this week, an indictment is expected against a Yokneam man allegedly caught in the act carrying out a price tag incident earlier this month.The suspect, 25-year-old Adir Yosef, will be charged with only one incident even though he is a suspect in several others.On the day of his arrest, Yosef was spotted by officers from a special patrol unit while he was trying to puncture the tire of an Arab worker at a construction site.The incident Yosef will be charged with was one of six in Yokneam over the course of a single month.
