11 Israeli youths indicted in price tag attacks

A Jerusalem court handed down indictments against 11 boys allegedly involved in "price tag" vandalism attacks targeting Palestinian property in the eastern sector of the city, the Ynet news site reported Wednesday. They have been charged with damaging property and endangering life in traffic, the report said. The indictments followed the arrest earlier this month of 14 Israeli minors, aged 13 to 16, suspected of belonging to an organized group that carried out dozens of such attacks in and around Jerusalem in recent years. It was not clear whether the individuals indicted on Wednesday were among the suspects detained on Oct. 6. So-called "price tags" mainly target Palestinian property, but have also been directed against Israeli security forces to protest evacuations of West Bank settlements. Increasingly concerned over the implications of such attacks, the Israeli cabinet has recently approved harsher legal measures that enable law enforcement to crack down on far-right extremists, including lengthier remands and prison terms.