Escalation in ‘price tag’ attacks and nature of incidents send clear message that attempts at coexistence are to be trampled
Graffiti: "Death to Arabs," "Closed Military Zone," list of illegal outposts. Al Jeniya, West Bank (Photo: Iyad Hadad, Btselem)
On Sunday, a “price tag” attack that included hateful graffiti and vandalism of property was committed in the middle of the night by Jewish Israelis in the Palestinian village of Al Jenia, near Ramallah, Rabbis for Human Rights reported. The village has suffered many attacks over the last year in which their trees were hurt and uprooted. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Tu B’Shvat – a Jewish arbor holiday marking the start of the period for calculating the age of fruit-bearing trees – and Rabbis for Human Rights has decided to honor the holiday by planting trees in Al Jenia.
Watch the video showing the damage:
This morning, two more “price tag” attacks were committed, this time in East Jerusalem, on a 1,000-year old Christian monastery – where “Death to Christians” was graffitied – and an Arab-Jewish school called Yad beYad, which is a public symbol of coexistence and partnership in this region.
This is not the first time a “price tag” attack has been committed against Jewish Israelis themselves nor is it the first time Christian holy sites have been targeted. In January alone, Peace Now reported five ”price tag” incidents, and now, only one week into February, at least three more have now been reported. There are also countless more similar incidents that don’t make it into the media or are not branded as “price tag” attacks but indeed constitute an assault against all those who are not settlers.
The attack on the school does appear to be the first such attack on a school; and not just any school, a school that stands for coexistence and bilingualism, sending a clear threat to those Jewish Israelis (and of course Palestinians) that any effort they make at partnership and coexistence will be met with reprisals.
Read Also:
Subaru ad makes light of West Bank ‘price tag’ attacks
More price tag attacks against Peace Now
UN report shows 40% rise in settler violence in 2011
‘Price Tag’ attack burns Jaffa restaurant Sunday night
Muslim and Christian cemeteries desecrated in Jaffa
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להתחזק מהשונה: ניוזלטר לפרשת "יתרו" | שומרי משפט – רבנים למען זכויות האדם
[...] איזה ערך יש לאמונה אם היא לא מתבטאת במעשים, בחמלה אנושית ובאהבת הזולת? הרב קובי וייס אתר "העוקץ" על סדר מסוג חדש לט"ו בשבט וקורא להצטרף לנטיעות באל ג'ניה ביום רביעי הקרוב ה-8.2.2012. הנה סרט שצילם מוריאל רוטמן באל ג'ניה אחרי תג המחיר שהתרחש שלשום (פורסם גם במגזין 972): [...]
D.Jelencovich
Steve: So…buddy…whaddya gotta say about that, hey?
I’m curious to hear your response to this…
aristeides
Jelencovich – why feed the troll?
D.Jelencovich
Aristeides: True. I was just hoping that we might see some glimmer of humanity peak through.
I’m probably peeing into the wind, though. Cynicism gets the better of me.
Danny
Nothing more to say about these criminals. I’m waiting for the day they will be taken by the proverbial scruff of their neck and given a good kick in the ass that launches them right out of there, just like in Gaza!
Jazzy
As far as reprisals for collaboration go, I’ll take graffiti over being summarily executed by AK-47. Let’s remember that intimidation against those who cooperate with the ‘other’ exists on both sides of the equation…
Carl
Jazzy, a Christian monastery and a mixed school are collaborators?
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I’m trying to find some spectacularly dry humour in your remark but worryingly for you, I can’t. Prove me wrong. Please.
Jazzy
Carl: sorry, yes, that should have been a “collaborators” in quotes. My point is that if there’s to be peace through cooperation (e.g. bilingual schools) in mixed areas like Jerusalem, there’s plenty of taboo-busting that needs to take place on the Palestinian side as well. This is not to say that the kind of Palestinians who use violence to intimidate their Israel-friendly compatriots do not have legitimate grievances. It is just to say that, if we start here and now, it isn’t just Israelis who need to find a way to take their own zealots out of the equation.
Carl
Jazzy: phew! I thought 972 had gone a bit J’Post talkback for a bit.
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That’s the thing with this here Interweb – it’s too quick for our own good. I’m off to pen some ‘Letters To The Editor’ and take a leisurely stroll to the postbox… .. .
Deïr Yassin
The name of the village is al-Janiya [al-jâniyyah] (just in case people want to look it up) on “Palestineremembered” or elsewhere. Israelis should try to get Arabic names at least a little bit straight. ‘Bruqîn’ became Burkina lately in Haaretz etc.
Steve
That stuff is bad news, obviously.
This is pretty bad, too:
http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/64.htm
Here’s a Hamas preacher a few days ago calling for “Death to Jews”
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3227.htm
This sort of stuff goes on every day, on official TV stations of the Palestinian government
A bit more extreme than some graffiti on a few houses