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A man looks at the slashed tires of his van which was also sprayed
with the Star of David in Beit Hanina, June 24, 2013.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)


JERUSALEM (AFP) - (AFP) - Suspected Jewish extremists punctured the tyres of more than 20 Palestinian cars in east Jerusalem on Monday in the latest apparent "price tag" hate crime, police and an AFP correspondent said.

The attack took place in Beit Hanina neighborhood, with Hebrew graffiti on a nearby wall reading: "We won't be silent on stone throwing."

Police said 21 cars had been vandalized and that they had opened an investigation.

Last week 28 cars were vandalized in the Palestinian village of Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem in an attack that evoked strong condemnation from the Israeli political establishment.

"They think they can scare us ... but the villagers endured artillery shelling and never left their village. We will live in Abu Ghosh -- which is a symbol of peace and coexistence -- until the end," Mayor Salim Jibril told Ma'an at the time.

Also this month, graves were desecrated in an Arab Christian cemetery in Jaffa.

In 2012, police opened 623 files on price tag attacks, arrested 200 people and served 123 indictments, an official said earlier this month.

So far this year, they have opened 165 files on attacks, arrested 76 suspects and served 31 indictments, with police insisting that such crimes are a "top priority."
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