Only days before Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism), three monuments in the Jordan Valley to fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism were vandalized. One monument, near Petzael, a village in the valley, was spray-painted with the words "End the occupation" and "The end of Zionism." On a large memorial wall at the site, some names of soldiers killed in battles that took place in the valley were sprayed with black paint. A Palestinian flag was drawn on another monument near the village of Mehula. The monument was erected to honor the memory of village resident Salit Shitrit, who was murdered in a terrorist attack in 2001. The third vandalized monument, located near the Jordan Valley Regional Council, was erected in memory of two policemen who were killed in an attack in 2009. "It is very upsetting that a week before Yom Hazikaron extreme leftist anarchists and cowards are desecrating the honor of our finest soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend Israel," David Alhiani, head of the Jordan Valley Council, told Israel Hayom. "The damage was not just to the memories of those who fell, but also to their families and the entire country. People do not behave this way. These were beasts. I expect the police to do all they can to apprehend them." The Defense Ministry sent a representative on Thursday to assess the damage to the monuments and a spokesman said the regional councils have pledged to repair the damage immediately, with the help of the ministry.
