Senior government officials claim that the cumulative extent of damage caused by the zealots to the infrastructure, tracks, and engineering tools at the construction site of the Bar Ilan section of the Jerusalem light rail has exceeded 600 million shekels.
According to a report by Yifat Reuven in The Marker, this is a jump compared to data from less than two years ago, when the damage was estimated at 326 million shekels.
Vandalism against the works has been going on for about six years and has intensified in recent months with a series of deliberate arsons of heavy mechanical equipment and expensive engineering tools.
This week, a protester was filmed entering the sterile work area in the middle of concrete pouring - causing further delays in the work.
However, although many of the acts of vandalism were recorded by security cameras in the complex and also through videos by passersby, and although the police arrested dozens of protesters, not a single indictment was filed against the rioters at the scene.
This is despite the fact that about a year ago, the Ministry of Finance approved a special, exceptional and dedicated budget addition for the Jerusalem District Police - which was given following a request to deal with the challenge of securing the light rail work.
