New price tag attack targets Palestinian village near Yitzhar
“Quiet will be met with quiet, greetings from Komy Uri,” read the graffiti, referring to an outpost near Yitzhar.
By ROSSELLA TERCATINPrice tag attack in Far'ata on December 20, 2019.(photo credit: FAR'ATA COUNCIL)
The residents of Far' ata, a Palestinian village near the settlement of Yitzhar in the West Bank, reported that two cars were set on fire and threatening graffiti were sprayed over nearby houses overnight, the Israeli police spokesperson unit announced on Friday."Quiet will be met with quiet, greetings from Kumi Ori," read the graffiti, referring to an illegal outpost near Yitzhar, which was recently evacuated by the Israeli authorities.Police and IDF units are investigating the episode and have entered the village to examine the scene.The number of hate crimes against Palestinian has recently registered a high increase, raising concern among Israeli security forces.Just in the past two weeks, dozens of vehicles were damaged and graffiti painted over houses in two Arab neighborhoods in the Jerusalem area, Khalayleh and Shu'afat.Price tag attack in Far'ata on December 20, 2019. (Far'ata Council)Price tag attack in Far'ata on December 20, 2019. (Far'ata Council)On Sunday, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officials met with rabbis and educators from the religious-Zionist community as part of an effort to reduce the number of hate crimes perpetrated by extremist settler youth.According to a report on Kan News, officials involved in the meeting underlined the importance of countering what was described as a "growing problem," although the identity of the rabbis and educators involved in the meeting was not disclosed.Earlier this year, other attacks targeted Palestinian villages and property in the area of Yitzhar.
In October, the IDF declared that the Kumi Ori outpost was a closed military zone, after violent confrontations between the troops and some youth. Following the decision, about 30 settlers attacked soldiers near the settlement, throwing stones, slashing a jeep's tires and slightly injuring one of the soldiers.Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.
