Police chief: Price-tag incidents must be 'eradicated'

Danino calls attacks on religious symbols "extremely explosive phenomenon," beefs up police activity in response to criticism from politicians; Livni calls price-tags "dangerous degradation of Israeli society."

By JPOST.COM STAFF , YAAKOV LAPPIN, BEN HARTMAN
Jaffa Cemetery 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Jaffa Cemetery 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino said Sunday morning that, "Price-tag incidents are serious and must be eradicated. Attacking religious symbols and holy places is an extremely explosive phenomenon that has implications for the general public of the country."
Danino instructed district commanders to map out sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian areas after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Rabbi Meir synagogue in Jaffa on Saturday night. That attack occured hours after far-right-wing graffiti was reported to police in Muslim and Christian cemeteries in the area. RELATED:
Suspect arrested in Tuba Zanghariya mosque torching
Danino plans to meet with the Arab-Israeli leaders Monday to calm the situation. Saying he would work to prevent escalations, he emphasized the need to do "everything" to reach the incidents' perpetrators, collect evidence and file charges against them.
Danino's comments come in response to statements by several leaders Sunday morning criticizing law enforcement over the handling of "price-tag" vandalism.  Opposition leader Tzipi Livni on Sunday harshly criticized the Jaffa events alongside a string of similar incidents last week, calling on police to swiftly bring perpetrators to justice."Criminals [acting on] hate this last week are causing a dangerous degradation of Israeli society," Livni said.
"The country's law enforcement must act with urgency to find those responsible and bring them to justice...Community leaders must speak out clearly and unanimously and clarify that such actions are contrary to Israeli values and the religious values of those who commit them."
Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai criticized the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and police's lack of initiative in preventing such incidents.
"'Price-tag' vandals have been wandering throughout our country for so many years and they have not been caught," Huldai told Army Radio Sunday morning.
No damage or injuries were reported in Saturday's synagogue attack, and police said they were not convinced the cemetery graffiti was actually spray-painted by right-wing extremists.The messages "price tag" and "death to Arabs" were written on the tombstones. However, police later reported that the slogan "death to Russians - G.A. 02" was also spray painted in the cemetery, adding that this graffiti was "linked to a soccer group."
Police beefed up their presence in the area, promising to prevent reprisals. They also denied media reports that some 25 graves were damaged in the incident.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police were looking "at a number
of possibilities" regarding the cemetery defacement.