JERUSALEM (JTA) — Police arrested a man suspected of turning the water blood red in a fountain in a square in Israel named for Donald Trump.
The Hebrew words for “Annexation will cost us in blood” also were found painted in red on the ground at the site in Petach Tikvah, near Tel Aviv, on July 29.
The suspect, who was arrested on Saturday night, was accused of disturbing the peace during a protest in Tel Aviv against the government’s economic policies to help during the coronavirus crisis. Following that arrest, he was identified as a suspect in the Petach Tikvah incident.
The incident remains under investigation, The Times of Israel reported.
Donald Trump Square was inaugurated a year ago to thank Trump for his support of Israel, especially the president’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The square includes a fountain with an illuminated sculpture incorporating the Israeli and American flags.
The vandalism occurred two days before the July 1 date set by the Israeli government coalition partners as the earliest that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could begin annexing parts of the West Bank as provided for in the Trump administration’s peace plan unveiled earlier this year. No moves toward annexation have yet taken place.
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