I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but ever since Israeli settlers landed in the West Bank, there’ve been problems between them and the local Palestinian population. The last few years have seen the rise of a new kind of antagonism, though, a vigilante form of score-settling that’s come to be known as ‘Price Tagging’. Carried out by a few thousand Orthodox Jewish extremist settlers organised into small cells, Price Tagging can include anything from the burning and uprooting of Palestinian olive orchards, to the stoning of Palestinian homes and vehicles, and even murder. (Basically if there’s graffitti on the wall afterwards that says “Price Tag” in Hebrew, you’ve probably been Price Tagged.)
To begin with, Price Tagging acts were retaliatory acts, committed when Palestinians or local authorities like the Israel Defence Forces destroyed illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. But since Palestine was welcomed into the UNESCO big boys club in October last year, the Price Taggers have dropped this ‘eye for an eye’ policy in favour of a more proactive approach, attacking mosques, army bases and people without kicking their heels on street corners waiting to be provoked first.
