A memorial erected in northern Israel in memory of soldiers who fell fighting in the war surrounding the state's creation was vandalized on Monday.
The outdoor seating area was built in memory of seven Jewish fighters who died on March 16, 1948, in a clash with Arab militants that came to be known as the Battle of Beit Keshet. They were all members of Palmach, one of several Jewish pre-state paramilitary groups that served as a precursor to the Israel Defense Forces.
Locals found the riverside seating area in Nahal HaShiv'a Park in ruins Monday morning after it was apparently demolished using heavy equipment. A complaint was filed with the local police.
"Yesterday morning, I went on my morning walk along the river as I usually do when suddenly I saw that the stone bench and table were shattered, and after a few seconds, I noticed that another bench was shattered," a resident of a nearby town told Ynet.
"I was shocked when I realized that this was deliberate vandalism done by bad people who came to intentionally destroy a nice and beautiful seating area in memory of Palmach soldiers.
I think about 5-6 stone benches and tables were destroyed in this sad event, in a park that is used by all the public in this area. It's a park that has been maintained by the area's youth for years."
Lower Galilee Regional Council Mayor Nitzan Peleg shared his distraught and anger with the act of vandalism.
"This place was well kept by all local communities, it is a lovely corner that commemorates the seven heroes from Kibbutz Beit Keshet who paid with their lives in the battle for the kibbutz… We expect law enforcement to handle the complaint resolutely and arrest those who did it.
This is an action that was done using heavy equipment. This means that someone deliberately brought something heavy, this is not just another act of vandalism that we regularly encounter, unfortunately. This is not teen tomfoolery, but rather someone who was intentionally trying to harm something important."