CAIRO: On Sunday night in Tuba Zangaria, a small village in Upper Galilee, a mosque was set alight by a mob of angry Israelis. The attack comes as a part of a new form of violence called “price tagging,” in which far-right Israelis attack Palestinians for every West Bank settlement demolished by the Israeli government. The mosque in Tuba Zangaria was set alight, and the interior of the mosque was rampaged by the attackers on Sunday. They spray-painted the words “price tag” and “revenge” on the walls of the holy space. “It is obvious that Jewish extremists did this, despite the internal divisions we have, no one here would dare harm the mosque,” said a local villager. Following the attack, an estimated 300 residents of the primarily Bedouin village marched to nearby Rosh Pina. The marchers voiced their protest against the recent wave of “price tagging,” attacks on Palestinian villages, mosques, witnessed recently. The protesters clashed with the Israeli police, who prevented them from reaching the main junction with stun grenades and tear gas. According to the Israeli police, protesters were hurling stones and burning tires along the way. They were pushed back into the villages. Tensions between Israeli settlers of the West Bank and Palestinians intensified over the last month, and “price tagging” attacks have become more frequent. This September, “price taggers” wrote hateful slogans on the walls of the West Bank University of Bir Zeit. Similar attacks took place in the village of Yitma near Nablus, and vehicles were torched in Kablan. “Price tagging” is not limited to Palestinian villages. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the West Bank witnessed attacks and break-ins. Military vehicles were recently rampaged in a military base near one settlement as well. The attacks against the IDF are considered acts of “revenge,” as it is the task of the IDF to destroy settlements declared illegal by high court rulings. “This was an abhorrent crime directed against commanders and vehicles, the mission of which is to protect the lives of Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. IDF forces cleared settlements near the Migron outpost last month, prompting “price tag” attacks. The words “Price Tag Migron” were sprayed on the street door of an un-named Israeli activist, who is considered the face of Peace Now's “Settlement Watch.” “We don't need to be frightened, we need to take it seriously and be careful, but not be afraid,” she commented calmly on the incident. Well aware that the Tuba Mosque incident could harm the Israeli image worldwide, both President Shimon Peres and Education Minister Gideon Saar condemned the attack. Peres expressed his deepest regrets. “Such acts of terrorism poison the relationship between Israel and her neighbors and between Israeli citizens of different faiths,” he said. BM
