The Israeli Police revealed on Wednesday that Israeli settlers carried out 800 “Price Tag” racist attacks against Palestinians and their property, in the occupied West Bank and Israel during the last two years. The statement came during a session that was held by the Interior Committee of the Israeli Knesset to discuss increasing attacks carried out by the settlers. Communist MK Mohammad Barakeh, chairman of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), requested the session.

Lawyer Nidal Otham, head of the Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel (Mossawa Center), head of the Coalition Against Racism in Israel, also attended the session, and stated the Legal Advisor of the Israeli government, and the Prosecutor’s Office, are not acting on uprooting racism by “failing to investigate and indict officials who openly incite against the Arabs.” Othman added that extremist Israelis settler youth groups “translate this incitement into action,” due to the lack of adequate measures by the police.

“Price Tag” attack against a mosque in the occupied West Bank (Photo: Al Ittihad)

Price Tag attacks are carried out by extremist settlers and extreme-right activists against the Palestinians and their property and in some cases targeted Israeli peace groups and leftist organizations. The attacks include burning, attempting to burn and defacing several mosques and churches, in addition to vandalizing Islamic and Christian graveyards, and writing racist graffiti. Extremist settlers also attacked Palestinian farmers, burnt and uprooted hundreds of Palestinian trees and farmlands. The most recent attacks were carried out on Friday, June 7 2013, when extremist settlers burnt a Palestinian car in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem and in Jaffa, last Thursday: graves at the Christian-Orthodox cemetery were desecrated overnight. Graffiti reading “revenge” and “price tag” were found on several tombstones. Police also found “price tag” graffiti on the wall of a residential building in the city.