Settler 'terror': Price tag in Kfar Qassem, foiled plot against demolisher
30 fruit trees cut down in Arab city, three men arrested in Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi next to house of senior appointee for issuing destruction orders
A radical West Bank settlers attack occurred late Thursday night, and another one was prevented, adding to the arrests police made on similar events that took place this past week.
The latest crime happened at a garden center next to Kfar Qassem, where 30 fruit trees were cut down with a sign next to them saying "Regards Eish Kodesh," referring to the Samarian region settlement whose settlers were attacked near the Palestinian village of Qusra.
Workers in the garden center arrived Friday morning at the scene and called police. The Rosh Ha'ayin unit is investigating.
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- Ya'alon: Price Tag is terror, perpetrators can expect no tolerance
- Palestinians took settlers hostage in village, IDF rescued them
- Palestinian government hails villagers who beat up settlers
In another event, before dawn, three men from the Samaria region and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank were arrested in the religious Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi.
The three are suspected of trying to conspire against a Civil Administration representative who lives on the kibbutz, in an attempt to damage his car. Police arrested them and found gas cans, and pictures of demolished buildings in Jewish settlements in Samaria.
The arrest happened around 3 am when a security member of the kibbutz saw them near the Civil Administration worker's property. He's responsible in part for handing out building permits for settlements in Samaria. Police also say that he's responsible for issuing demolition orders for illegal buildings.
"We don't know exactly what the three men's intentions were, whether to damage his car or his house," the security guard at the kibbutz said. "But we did find in their car gas cans and signs condemning the demolition of houses in the territories."
The three, residents of Talmon and Shadmot Mehola, aged 19-23, were investigated at the Beit Shean police station. They were in court Friday morning in Nazareth for a remand hearing.
The administrator of the kibbutz said that there were many Civil Administration workers living there, and none has been threatened before due to the work.
Prior to the latest events, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke out against the alleged misbehavior.
"The unacceptable phenomenon named Price Tag is terror in every sense and we are working against its perpetrators with zero tolerance and great determination," he said.
"We will not allow extremist groups to take control – against the law – of lands that do not belong to them and to threaten Palestinian residents."
Price Tag graffiti and burnt cars were also found Wednesday morning in a Palestinian village south of Nablus, and on Tuesday 11 settlers were attacked upon entering a different village in the same area.
After Tuesday's events in Qusra, seven suspects were arrested, of which four are minors.
The confrontation broke out between settlers and Palestinians at the Eish Kodesh settlement in Samaria, after an illegal structure was evacuated and destroyed. The sides threw stones, and the quarrel made its way into the Palestinian village Qusra.
Eleven settlers entered the village and were attacked, they say, by a group of Palestinians. The Palestinians said that the group of settlers attacked a teenager, injuring him in the head. Only after that did a group of Palestinians come and grab the settlers, they claim.
The Jews escaped, running away into an empty structure between the villages Qusra and Karyut. The Palestinians then flanked the house
The Palestinians held the settlers hostage inside the village, but after a short period of time the IDF arrived and removed the settlers. Local members of Rabbis for Human Rights intervened and acted as a human shield for the settlers until security forces arrived to break up the altercation.
