MKs pay solidarity visit to 'price tag'-hit Abu Ghosh

Delegation of Yesh Atid deputies express horror at vandalism, tire slashings; Abu Ghosh council chief vows relations to stay strong.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
vandalized car abu ghosh 370 (photo credit: CARA DORRIS)
vandalized car abu ghosh 370
(photo credit: CARA DORRIS)
A delegation of lawmakers from Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid faction visited the Arab village of Abu Ghosh on Thursday morning to express their support for local residents after this week’s headline-grabbing “price tag” incident.
Villagers were horrified Tuesday when they awoke to the sight of dozens of cars whose tires were slashed and walls which were vandalized with spray paint demanding “Arabs go home.” Authorities are investigating the incident, which they believe was perpetrated by far-rightists opposed to territorial concessions to the Palestinians.
Deputy Finance Minsiter Mickey Levy and Yesh Atid MKs Boaz Toporovsky, Shimon Solomon, Ruth Calderon and Dov Lipman met with council chief Salim Jabr and locals to discuss the incident. They heard about the villagers’ reaction to the episode and the hope that good relations between the town’s Jewish and Arab residents remain harmonious.
“The support we received from all corners of the country strengthens us and bolsters our desire to continue the cooperation in the region between Jews and Arabs,” Jabr said. “Those who tried to harm those relations and cause a rift only served to strengthen the closeness.”
“The residents of Abu Ghosh have been my friends and neighbors for 30 years,” Levy said. “We have a tight, close bond, and no attempt by extremist elements to harm those outstanding relations will succeed.”
Levy, a former Jerusalem District chief of the Israel Police, said that authorities are continuing to investigate.