JERUSALEM (JTA) — The three suspects arrested in the alleged arson attack on a joint Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem have been identified as activists for a radical right-wing group.
The suspects, named as Yitzhak Gabai, 22; Nahman Twitto, 18; and Shlomo Twitto, 22, from the West Bank community of Beitar Ilit, are part of the Lehava organization, which works to prevent marriages between Jews and non-Jews .
The suspects confessed to the arson, the Shin Bet security service reported.
A fire was set in the classroom of the joint Arab-Jewish Max Rayne Hand In Hand Jerusalem School on Nov. 29.
A preliminary police investigation found that the blaze was set intentionally.
“Death to Arabs” and “There is no coexistence with cancer” were among the anti-Arab epithets spray-painted on the school walls.
Jewish-Arab tensions have risen in Jerusalem following a recent spate of violence.
The Hand In Hand Jerusalem School is Israel’s largest joint Arab-Jewish school and the only such primary and high school in the city. Five Hand in Hand schools are located throughout the country.
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.
