A tent used by Bedouin shepherds for storage was found destroyed Thursday morning, and graffiti found scrawled nearby said that the attack was a “price-tag” attack.
There were no witnesses to the burning of the tent, which was used to storeequipment, but security officials are conducting a massive search for the culprits.
The incident occurred outside Ramallah, at a village called Ein Samyah, and took place overnight Wednesday. In light of the recent arson in the Arab village of Duma, in which two people, including a baby, were killed, Israeli officials said they were not taking any chances. Ein Samyah is several kilometers away from Duma.
Officials are operating on the assumption that the incident is a hate crime, because of Hebrew graffiti reading “tents of revenge” and “price-tag” scrawled nearby. Officials are searching for a vehicle that was seen driving in the area.
Although several people – most notably Meir Ettinger, a grandson of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane – were arrested after the Duma arson incident, no one has been charged in that case.
Speaking Tuesday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that “we are still in the midst of a wave of attacks in response to the arson and murder in the Palestinian village of Duma.
