Israeli Police have reportedly arrested 14 Jewish teenage boys from
Jerusalem, all of whom who study in various yeshivas across the country,
on suspicion of operating an organized anti-Arab terror group.
Cops Make 14 Arrests In “Price Tag” Vandalism And Violent Attacks – All Of Them Haredi And Orthodox Teens
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israeli Police have reportedly arrested 14 Jewish teenage boys from Jerusalem, all of whom who study in various yeshivas across the country, on suspicion of operating an organized anti-Arab terror group.
The boys, all aged 13- to 16-years-old, physically attacked Arabs, vandalized Arab-owned vehicles, spray-painted hate graffiti and stoned vehicles with Arab drivers, Ynet reported.
An order stifling reporting on their arrests was lifted yesterday.
The boys said they acted out of “hatred for Arabs and [in] revenge for attacks committed against Jews," police reportedly said.
All but one of the boys reportedly confessed.
The boys’ attacks took place during the High Holidays school break, when the boys returned home to Jerusalem from their yeshivas around the country, and during summer vacation.
Ten of the boys had their remands extended. Four were released under special restrictive conditions because they are only 13-years-old.
The teens reportedly admitted that they had stoned several Arab drivers on Highway 1 in Jerusalem, stoned Egged buses driven by Arabs, torched vehicles belonging to an Arab resident of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, stoned Arab pedestrians and slashed the tires of Arab-owned vehicles. When Arab drivers stopped at red lights, the boys would stone their cars and then rip open car doors to attack the vehicles’ occupants.
Twenty attacks allegedly carried out by the boys were reportedly documented by police, who suspect the teens were involved in other similar attacks, as well. Police are continuing to investigate.
At least one of the boys has retained extreme right wing attorney and Kahanist Itamar Ben Gvir.
Arab residents of East Jerusalem were skeptical of the arrests.
"If it [all] ends without a conviction they'll be encouraged and will understand that the police close such cases.…If the teens will not be convicted and punished then all these arrests are worth nothing. My car was also damaged and my two kids were sprayed with tear gas. They did the same to my neighbors. Now the kids are scared to play outside, because they are threatened by the haredim who pass by every day and harass us. I have to take them to school myself and bring them back; they really have started to feel like they're in prison. It cannot be that the police haven't the resources to fight this phenomenon. We're being discounted, as if we don’t exist,” Attorney Amad Amhasin, who lives in Sheikh Jarrah with his family, told Ynet.
Mohamed Amhisan, another resident of Sheikh Jarrah, agrees.
"All the arrests are just for show, so they'll be able to tell us the police are doing their duty. But 'price tag' acts are still spreading in East Jerusalem and no one seems able to stop the gang that's behind them.
"If it was an Arab who abused Jews they'd bring him to trial in a few hours, and he would have been severely punished.
"I'm sure we'll see more 'price tag' acts. The Israeli government, instead of helping us, watches the results as if it's a TV movie. Their silence and releasing the suspects will give a green light for the racists to continue, until a disaster occurs, one for which we'll all pay the price,” Amhisan reportedly said.
Another Arab resident of Jerusalem also agrees.
"There are young [Jewish] religious kids who cause trouble here. We tried talking to the rabbis in the area, but it didn't work out. No one cares. Eventually we will have to catch them and there will be violence,” an Arab resident identified as Amjad reportedly said.