The intifada moved into the heart of Jewish western Jerusalem Wednesday, when three more cars were set afire in a parking lot under an apartment building in the German Colony.
Residents were evacuated for fear the fire might spread.
Police Chief Rahamim Comfort said it was unquestionably arson with Palestinian nationalist motivations.
Some 21 Jewish-owned cars have been torched this month, most of them in Abu Tor, a neighborhood that straddles East and western Jerusalem.
Police detained two children who live there as suspects.
The arson in the German Colony was the first such incursion into the western part of the city. Undercover agents have been stationed in areas where further arson is possible.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
