Following the recent increase in “Price Tag” hate-crimes in Israel, including the desecration of Christian and Muslim houses of worship, we called on American friends of Israel to join APN in urging the Israeli authorities to seriously confront this ugly phenomenon.

On Sunday, the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman published a powerful article in Israel’s Haaretz, headlined “Israel cannot wait any longer to crush price tag attacks.”

In his article, Foxman writes: “… many in Israel are frustrated by the failure to arrest and effectively prosecute perpetrators. The lack of a visibly strong plan of action undermines the credibility of the recent outpouring of official condemnations.” He adds, “Israeli politicians must find a way to empower law enforcement to effectively and efficiently pursue those inciting, supporting and carrying out these heinous hate crimes. Once they are apprehended, Israel’s legal system must provide the means to administer a proper punishment to those who, thus far, have acted with seeming impunity.” Foxman concludes: “It is not just a matter of protecting the victims of assaults and preventing vandalism of religious sites sacred to Christians and Muslims; it is a matter of living up to the ideals of the democratic and Jewish soul of the State of Israel. The stakes are high. These attacks do indeed come with a price.”

Foxman deserves recognition and appreciation for his forthright call for Israeli action against “Price Tag” perpetrators. We very much hope that others in the Jewish community will follow, and that Israeli authorities will at last take appropriate action.

For a timeline of “Price Tag” attacks, go to APN’s “Price Tag” log