JERUSALEM (JTA) — A mosque in the northern Israeli-Arab town of Fureidis was vandalized in what is believed to be a “price tag” attack.
A Star of David and the words “Close mosques, not yeshivot” were spray-painted on a wall of the mosque. Also, the tires of about 20 cars in the area were slashed.
The graffiti was discovered Tuesday morning, when worshippers arrived for morning prayers. Hundreds of town residents heeded a call after the discovery to pray in solidarity at the mosque.
That evening, Arabs and Jews from northern Israel demonstrated at the entrance to Fureidis, demanding justice in the incident. Jewish demonstrators carried signs reading “we support our neighbors.”
The attack is believed to be related to the Border Police takeover earlier this month of a yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar.
Price tag refers to the strategy adopted by extremist settlers and their supporters generally to exact retribution for settlement freezes and demolitions or Palestinian attacks on Jews.
On Sunday, an Arab school in Acre was spray-painted with “death to Arabs” and other graffiti. Earlier this month, vandals targeted a mosque in the northern Israeli town of Um al-Fahm.
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