A suspect in his 30s was arrested for setting fire to the statue of former prime minister David Ben-Gurion near Frishman Beach in Tel Aviv overnight on Friday during the first night of Rosh Hashanah, according to Hebrew media reports.
Passers-by who arrived at the scene noticed the change in the well-known statue and reported it to the police.
"We will restore [the statue] soon"
Ron Huldai, Tel Aviv Mayor
The circumstances of the case have not yet been clarified but police have arrested a 34-year-old homeless man on suspicion of being connected to the incident.
עצוב מאוד שבתחילת השנה החדשה מישהו החליט לפגוע באחד הפסלים הכי אהובים בעיר, פסלו של סמל תקומת ישראל - דוד בן גוריון.נחדש את הפסל בהקדם כדי שיעמוד מחדש במהירות האפשרית וישוב לשמח את תושבי ותושבות העיר, ובעיקר את הילדים. pic.twitter.com/Pmy6X4dtwI
— רון חולדאי (@Ron_Huldai) September 16, 2023
Comments from the Mayor
Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor Ron Huldai responded this morning to the damage to the statue on the promenade in the city.
"It is very sad that at the beginning of the new year, someone decided to damage one of the most beloved statues in the city," Huldai wrote on his X, formerly Twitter, account. "We will renew [the statue] soon".
"It is troubling to start the year with the violent destruction of one of the country's symbols," Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv, Chen Arieli said. "We are on a slippery slope [which] comes directly from the attempt to erase the Declaration of Independence and our democracy. No one will burn our history. We will make sure that the statue is restored soon."
The CEO of the Zionist Council in Israel, Oz Haim, said in response to the burning of Ben Gurion's statue: "Just last night we greeted each other with a Happy New Year and hoped for happy tidings, and already in the morning we are horrified to hear the news about the desecration of the statue of the father of our nation. Precisely on Rosh Hashanah and in the first Hebrew city, those who chose to do this despicable act chose to hurt our symbol and heart. The recent multiple attacks on our values and symbols demand concern from anyone who considers himself a Zionist and loves Israel."