Israeli Settlers Held after 'Price Tag' Attacks
Three Israeli settlers were arrested on Monday on suspicion of having carried out a string of "price-tag" attacks against Palestinian property, Israeli police said.
"The police arrested three suspects in their 20s after they were involved in criminal incidents with nationalistic motives," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
The men, from different West Bank settlements, were arrested shortly after carrying out an attack near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
"They entered the Palestinian village of Daariah in the Hebron Hills and burned a vehicle. They wrote 'Price tag' beside the car," Rosenfeld said, adding they were arrested as they were about to enter another Palestinian village.
"These youngsters are connected to previous attacks in the last two weeks. They will be heard by the Jerusalem Magistrate Court today," he added.
Palestinian witnesses told Agence France Presse the three had torched a car in the area, spraying "price tag" and "Mazal Tov (congratulations)" on a nearby wall.
"Price tag" is a euphemism for revenge hate crimes by Israeli extremists, which normally target Palestinians and Arabs.
Initially carried out in retaliation for state moves to dismantle unauthorized settler outposts, they have become increasingly unrelated to any specific moves.
The attacks tend to involve the vandalism or destruction of Palestinian property and have included multiple arson attacks on cars, mosques and olive trees. The perpetrators are rarely caught.
Last year, police say 65 indictments were handed to extremists suspected of assault or for causing property damage in price tag attacks.
Despite the rising number of arson attacks, police say they are often unable to press charges given the lack of evidence.
Source: Agence France Presse
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