Car Set Ablaze, Inciting Graffiti Sprayed in Suspected West Bank Hate Crimes

A vehicle was set on fire and a hateful slogan was spray-painted overnight Thursday in the West Bank village of Taybeh, near Ramallah, while a Star of David was sprayed on three vehicles and their tires were slashed in the West Bank village of Deir Ammar.   

In Taybeh, the writing "Closed-off military zone Kumi Ori" in Hebrew was scrawled along a large wall.

Star of David sprayed on a car in the Palestinian west Bank village of Deir Ammar, November 29, 2019.

The Israeli army enforced a closed-off military area order on the outpost of Kumi Ori hill near the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar following the violence in the area against Israeli soldiers in October, which culminated when some 30 settlers hurled rocks at soldiers and punctured their vehicle's tires, leaving one of the troops lightly wounding.

Car with slashed tires in Deir Ammar, the West Bank, November 29, 2019.

Despite the order, a Border Police tent was set on fire outside Yitzhar, and cars were vandalized in the nearby Palestinian village of Yatma.

‘Closed-off military area Kumi Ori hill’ scrawled on the walls of the Palestinian village of Taybeh, November 29, 2019.

The priest of the Latin Church in Taybeh, Johni abu-Khalil, said that all signs indicate this was a "price tag" attack, adding that there's recently been a hike in these sorts of events.

Abu-Khalil said that nuns who reside in the village suffered verbal violence from settlers last week.

"The incident took place on the edge of the village, despite the fact most of it is defined as Area A [in which the Palestinian Authority has full autonomy]. We are concerned about what might happen in the future. [Israeli] security forces arrived this morning at the village and searched for the perpetrators, but we know that nothing will come out of it," the priest said.