The Israeli Peace Now Organisation reported that one of its activists recently received a death threat via text message as she was picking up her children from school. The incident is part of several attacks targeting Peace Now activists, homes and offices.Lee of Peace Now stated that the message reads “Lee, Today I Will Kill You”; other Peace Now activists also received similar death threats, and reported the issue to the Police.
The movement stated that it was revealed that the death threats were made by the same fanatic who, a few weeks ago, told Peace Now Director, Yariv Oppenheimer, that he “will put a bullet in his head.”
The assailant also called in a bomb threat to Peace Now offices, in addition to defacing the Jerusalem branch of the movement.
The movement stated that the assailant was apprehended by the Israeli Police, and released, three times, without having any charges brought against him.
“He has been arrested 3 times, and released 3 times… why? Because his dad has connections with high up people – when will his Dad realize that his son is dangerous and needs to pay the price for his actions? Will they only do something when he eventually kills someone?” peace now said.
The movement slammed the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu for passing legislation meant to weaken and hinder the work of certain NGO’s and leftist groups in the country.
“There are calling us traitors”, Lee stated, “Some members of Knesset are also calling us ‘enemies within’.
On November 27, Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the suspect, believed to be affiliated to “Price Tag” assaults against Israeli peace activists, has been sending death threats by email to senior Peace Now members.
Haaretz added that the suspect, 21, sent these messages only one week after a house arrest order against him was lifted.
The suspect was indicted, nearly two weeks ago, for several instances of vandalism and racism. He also confessed to spraying racist “Price Tag”, “Death To Arabs” graffiti in a number of areas in and around the city of Jerusalem.
Recently, Israeli Public Security Minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, told Knesset members he believes that threat of another political assassination in the country is real.
His statements were made as the Knesset held a session called for by Member of Knesset, Isaac Herzog, to discuss the repeated threats against Peace Now, and its member Hagit Ofran, as Price Tag graffiti was found outside her apartment.
Extremist settlers use the “Price Tag” when attacking Palestinians, Israeli peace activists and even the Israeli Police as they hold them responsible for the evacuation of some illegal settlement outposts built on Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.
Aharonovitch stated that the investigations are ongoing, and that one of the arrested suspects is still behind bars. “We are conducting all what we can to stop these threats and attacks”, he added.
He also stated that the threat of another political assassination in the country is real, adding that the Police and the Shin Bet Security Agency are actively involved in investigating these threats.
On November 4, 1995, Israeli extremist, Yigal Amir, assassinated the then-Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin of the Labor party, as he attended a peace rally in Tel Aviv.
Earlier this month, the Peace Now movement reported that the home of the director of the movement’s Settlement Watch Project, Hagit Ofran, was targeted for the second time in recent months. Swastikas and other racist graffiti were sprayed on Ofran’s home.
The graffiti also includes a direct death threat to Ofran with the extremists writing: “Hagit Ofran, Rabin is waiting for you”.
The settlers sprayed “Givat Assaf Revenge” and “Greetings from Moaz Etzion” referring to two illegal Israeli settlement outposts that were dismantled by the Israeli army.
The settlers also vandalized a “Peace” bumper sticker on a car that was parked in the area. The Israeli police opened an investigation into the issue after the neighbors reported it to the police, Haaretz added.
Following the attack, Peace Now issued a statement blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners for the escalating Price Tag attacks, and stated that “incitement and the harsh words of the government coalition members in favor of illegal outposts and against the justice system and left-wing organizations, are seeping into the ground, and giving support to the price tag vandals.”
