A mosque was set alight in the village of Tuba Zangaria near Rosh Pina overnight Sunday in an apparent "Price Tag" attack.
Northern District Police Commander Major-General Roni Attia was joined by police forces at the scene.
RELATED:Analysis: September and the settler factorPalestinians report further 'price tag' attack in W. BankResidents of the village said that the words "Price Tag" and "Revenge" were sprayed in the area.
Police opened an investigation into the incident.
The attack comes amid a recent wave of similar attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Public
Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch responded Monday with outrage to the
incident, calling it a "criminal and despicable attack on a holy place."
"I've
spoken with Police Insp.-Gen. [Yohanan Danino] about the incident and
received updates about police responses to the incident and the police's
determination to bring the perpetrators to justice," he added.
Last
month, police announced the formation of a special task force to track
down and arrest far-right extremists who were behind price tag incidents
in the West Bank.
"These acts are so dangerous, and harmful on a
national level. They can result in an escalation, and this is the last
thing the country needs," Danino said in September.
Since the demolition of three homes in the Migron settlement on
September 5, two mosques in the West Bank in the towns of Yatma and
Quasara were vandalized with the same graffiti. Additionally, price-tag
vandals infiltrated an army base next to the Beit-El
settlement and damaged 13 vehicles.
Two weeks ago, a left-wing
activist in Jerusalem was the recipient of one such attack, after
right-wing demonstrators spray-painted “Price Tag
Migron” on the entrance to her building in the Katamon neighborhood of
Jerusalem.
The activist, who asked not to be named, works as the head of the Settlement Watch Team for Peace Now.
“They
know where we live and they’re trying to frighten us,” she said. “We
don’t need to be frightened, we need to take it seriously and be
careful, but not be afraid.”
The vandals also wrote “Peace Now,
the end is near,” “Revenge,” “Migron Forever” and “Death to traitors” up
the stairwell of the building. The graffiti was cleaned after police
investigated the scene.
“There are other peace activists and
other army commanders who got the same graffiti, so I’m in good
company,” she joked on Tuesday.
Melanie Lidman contributed to this report.