'Arabs go home' sprayed on houses of Abu Ghosh

Police say 28 cars vandalized, houses sprayed with graffiti in Arab village in "price tag" attack; Yacimovich: Attacks ruin Israel's int'l image.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Abu Ghosh 370 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Abu Ghosh 370
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Unknown assailants overnight on Monday punctured the tires of some 28 vehicles in the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, police said.
"Arabs go home" was sprayed on the walls of the village.
Police are investigating the incident.
Opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich reacted to the attack early Tuesday, saying that these attacks cause serious damage to Israel's reputation throughout the world, and also affect the relationship between Israelis and Arabs.
"The attacks are crimes of hate," Yacimovich said. "It is imperative that security forces do what they can to bring justice."
She added that Israel must use all resources to control this group of people who damage the state, and have no regard for the law.
The security cabinet on Sunday night strengthened law enforcement’s ability to combat the growing phenomenon of “price-tag” attacks by declaring their perpetrators an “illegal association.”
But it failed to take the added step of legally classifying the attacks as acts of terror and those involved as terrorists.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the decision “significantly expands the investigative and judicial tools available to the security forces and law enforcement authorities against so-called ‘price-tag’ actions.”
The new measures include stiffer sentencing and lengthier prison terms, according to an Israeli official.
The PMO explained that the security cabinet “authorized Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to use his authority under defense regulations to declare ‘price-tag’ activists an illegal association.”
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.