The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Monday issued the first-ever indictment for
a “price tag” operation, charging two 18-year-olds and a minor in connection to
two incidents that occurred in March.
The suspects included 18- year-old
Hillel Leibowitz of Hebron, 18-year-old Yisrael Katz of Sde Eliezer, and an
unnamed minor from the center of the country.
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Peres: Mosque arson brings great shame upon IsraelThe indictment alleges that
on March 13, the day of the funeral for the Fogel family from Itamar, Leibowitz
vandalized an SUV belonging to Jerusalem resident Muhammed Bakrit, while it was
parked in the Givat Shaul neighborhood. Leibowitz allegedly punctured four of
the Toyota Land Cruiser’s tires and broke several windows, causing NIS 23,716 in
damage.
Later that night, police stopped the three suspects near the Arab
village of Baka al-Gharbiya, while they were traveling in a car they stole from
a resident of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar.
According to the
indictment, the car contained two plastic bottles of diesel fuel and three pairs
of black gloves.
The indictment alleges the three were planning to carry
out an arson in the village or one of the other Arab villages nearby.
The
three suspects are being charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and using a
car without the owner’s permission.
Leibowitz also faces a premeditated
vandalism charge for the incident in Givat Shaul.
Price tag operations
refer to acts of violence or vandalism carried out against Palestinians and/or
Arab Israelis by right-wing Israelis to protest Israeli government
policy.
Price tag actions have included the torching of mosques, as well
as vandalism directed against IDF equipment and vehicles in the West
Bank.
Though there have been arrests in the past, until this week, there
had never been an indictment made in such a case. The police asked for their
remand to be extended, but on Monday night the court released the three suspects
on bail.