Three settlers from the Havat Gilad outpost were indicted on Wednesday at a central district municipal court on suspicion of planning and carrying out a price-tag attack in the Palestinian village Farata in Samaria. The three men were indicted over an attack that took place on Nov. 19, 2013. They allegedly set Palestinian cars on fire and drew Stars of David with spray cans on a wall outside a local resident's house. The fires caused damage to numerous vehicles in the village. The indictment was served by attorney Roey Kais after an investigation by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency. The first man arrested was Yehuda Landsberg, 25, a far-right activist who, according to Shin Bet intelligence, has been involved in multiple violent and illegal acts against Palestinians and Palestinian property in recent years. Landsberg had been arrested several times previously, but each time there was never enough evidence to charge him. The second man is 23-year-old Benjamin Richter, who, according to the Shin Bet, was involved in nationalistic violent acts against Palestinians. The third man is Israel Defense Forces deserter Yehuda Savir, 22. Landsberg, who was arrested Jan. 19, confessed to torching the Palestinian cars during questioning with the Shin Bet, and gave up Richter and Savir, who were arrested the following week. Savir also confessed during questioning by the Shin Bet and incriminated Landsberg and Richter. In court, however, Landsberg and Savir denied comitting the crime, claiming their confessions were made under duress. Richter exercised his right to remain silent. The Shin Bet said it views price-tag attacks "with great severity," adding that they "can cause harm to both people and property, destabilize public safety and regional stability. Aside from forcing the security apparatus to shift its focus in the area, the [price-tag] activity forces them to divest resources to deal with the phenomenon." The Shin Bet said that during questioning the three suspects divulged information on illegal activity carried out in the Palestinian village of Madama in Samaria, which, had it been discovered as it was carried out, could have caused a violent conflagration.
