Property of Palestinian citizens of Israel vandalised in 'price tag' attack

A Palestinian-majority village east of Nazareth inside Israel woke up on Thursday morning to racist slogans sprayed against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslim, news website Arab 48 reported.

The identity of the attackers remains unknown, but residents of Manshiya Zabda believe that the anti-Palestinian vandalism was carried by a group of Israelis and that it was a so-called “price tag” attack.

The tyres of round 20 cars were slashed, with some vehicles spray-painted with the star of David. According to Arab 48, the mosque of the village was also sprayed with insulting words against the Prophet Muhammad.

Other graffiti read: “Arabs are enemies, expel or kill."

Palestinians, whether citizens of Israel or residents of the occupied Palestinian territory, are regularly referred to in Israel as "Arabs" - a term Palestinians say deliberately attempts to erase their identity and claims to self-determination.

Israeli police said that it is probing the incident, and condemned it as a "nationalistic hate crime”.

Accordind to legal rights group the Racism Crisis Center, some 200 hate crimes have occurred in Palestinian-majority villages and towns inside Israel in 2019.

'The difference between vandalising vehicles and physical violence is becoming smaller'

- Racism Crisis Center

"The difference between vandalising vehicles and physical violence is becoming smaller. It’s inconceivable that this is ongoing while law enforcement authorities fail to arrest suspects or reach any conclusions," the Racism Crisis Center said in a statement, calling for a special commission to investigate perpetrators of price tag attacks.

On 28 November, the tyres of tens of vehicles were slashed in Jaljulia, a Palestinian town in central Israel, while Hebrew-language graffiti denounced relationships between Palestinians and Jewish Israelis, saying: “Jews, stop the exodus; cease to fuse.”

Last Monday, Palestinian residents of the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat woke up to find dozens of their cars and properties vandalised, in more apparent Israeli price tag attacks.

Ali Abu Khdeir, a resident of Shuafat, whose car tyres were slashed, told Middle East Eye that surveillance cameras showed three masked and hooded individuals vandalising vehicles and writing anti-Palestinians slogans on the walls of homes.

The recent raids resemble price tag attacks routinely conducted by Israeli settlers on Palestinian towns and villages in the occupied West Bank.

Price tag attacks have become increasingly common in the West Bank in recent years. The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported that the number of reported incidents rose from 140 in 2017 to nearly 500 in 2018.

In addition to slashing car tyres and painting anti-Palestinian slogans, price tag attacks often include assaults on Palestinians and the cutting down of trees belonging to Palestinian farmers.