September 7, 2011
Israeli military base vandalized allegedly by settlers
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Israeli battle tank. Photo by MathKnight and Zachi Evenor (Wikipedia)
An Israeli military base has been vandalized in what is believed to be retribution against the army by settlers.
The base was infiltrated early Wednesday by unknown assailants, who vandalized thirteen army vehicles by puncturing tires, shattering the windows, and spraying graffiti against Israel Defense Forces commanders and against dismantling of structures in the Jewish settlement of Migron on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The words “price tag” were also sprayed on the vehicles. Price tag refers to the strategy that extremist settlers have adopted to exact a price in attacks on Palestinians in retribution for settlement freezes and demolitions or for Palestinian attacks on Jews.
The IDF believes that soldiers were complicit in the attack, since it is very difficult to infiltrate a military base.
It is the first time that settlers have allegedly carried out planned vandalism against army property, Haaretz reported.
The attack appears to be in retaliation for the razing of three permanent homes in the Migron outpost near Jerusalem. A West Bank mosque was also attacked, allegedly by settlers, in the hours following the demolition.
Upon being briefed about the incident, the GOC of the Central Command, Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrahi contacted the commander of the Judea and Samaria Region District of the Israel Police, saying that the “diverting of anger towards military officials with the objective of deterring them from carrying out legal operations, government and Supreme Court decisions is unacceptable and reprehensible. I intend, along with the law enforcement authorities to apprehend those responsible for the incident, and bring them to justice.”
The settlers’ organization, Yesha Council, condemned the attack. “Those responsible for the crimes must turn themselves in to the police, and the security forces must act with resolve to uproot this aberrant phenomenon,” the council said in a statement.
