'Your death is near': Arrests made over hateful Arabic writing in Or Yehuda school

The police arrested the two: a 40-year-old cleaner and her 17-year-old daughter, who were suspected of writing the hateful statement.

Hateful graffiti in Arabic in the 'Savionim' school in Or Yehuda January 26, 2024. (photo credit: OR YEHUDA MUNICIPALITY SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Hateful graffiti in Arabic in the 'Savionim' school in Or Yehuda January 26, 2024.
(photo credit: OR YEHUDA MUNICIPALITY SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

A mother and daughter were arrested on suspicion of writing hateful statements of incitement and support for terrorism at a school in Or Yehuda on Friday. 

The incident was first discovered Friday morning, at the "Savionim" school in Or Yehuda, when students and school staff arrived at the scene this morning and came across an Arabic inscription on a calendar, which read: "Your death is near."

The threatening message led the school administration and the Or Yehuda municipality's security department to call the police to the scene.

After investigation, the daughter claimed responsibility for the incident

The police arrested the two, a 40-year-old cleaner and her 17-year-old daughter, residents of Lod, who were suspected of spraying the hateful statement. The two were taken for questioning, during which the daughter took responsibility for the event, and claimed that she was the one who wrote the address on the board. 

Upon completion of the investigation, it was decided to release the two under restrictive conditions, including house arrest and removal from the school.

 Police and paramedics at a crime scene in Beit Shemesh on July 23, 2022 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Police and paramedics at a crime scene in Beit Shemesh on July 23, 2022 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

After the incident, Or Yehuda Municipality issued a notice to parents, which read: "We are updating you on an unusual incident that occurred this morning (Friday) at the school in which a cleaner and her daughter were suspected by the police of writing threatening hateful statements.

"The police, who were called to the scene by the school staff and the security department, arrested the cleaner and her daughter," the letter continued. " This is a very unusual incident and we are sure that the Israel Police will investigate it and carry out the task at hand."

The letter concluded, "Following the incident, Mayor Liat Shohat directed the security, police, and municipal supervision department to increase patrols in the school area and to conduct thorough searches of the courtyards and areas of all educational institutions in the city."