The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Tuesday night that it had previously arrested a Jewish resident of the West Bank town of Ma’aleh Ephraim for the arson of a Palestinian car.
The agency noted that the Jerusalem District prosecution filed a declaration against the 22-year-old suspect, a prelude to an indictment expected to be filed in the coming days for arson under aggravated circumstances of ideological racism.
One lead turned into another
According to the Shin Bet, on January 2, IDF and security forces were pursuing a Palestinian for throwing rocks against Jewish vehicles around Route 60 near the village of Tomasiya.
During the pursuit, they observed the Jewish resident carrying out the arson.
Further, the agency said that the arson disrupted their pursuit of the Palestinian and potentially endangered the suspect himself.
In addition, it said that “taking the law into one’s own hands and perpetrating a hate crime against Palestinians who had no connection” to any crime “harms the security of the region and widens the circle of terror” with which Israel must contend.
The Shin Bet said it would continue to crack down hard on such illegal actions.