BICOM

Israeli police swiftly arrested a suspect after an Arab worker in the central city of Herzliya was stabbed yesterday in what appeared to be a nationalistically motivated attack.

The 27-year old victim, a man from northern Israel, is apparently a municipality-employed street cleaner. He told police that the attacker approached him and yelled “Death to Arabs” in Russian-accented Hebrew before attacking him with a knife. The victim was treated on the scene by paramedics for light wounds, before being transferred to a nearby hospital. An ambulance spokesperson said that on arrival the man was “fully conscious and walking. He suffered from a superficial stab wound to his upper body. We treated him and transported him to hospital in good condition.”

The attacker fled the scene, but was soon apprehended by police searching the area. The suspect, a 37-year-old male resident of Herzliya, apparently confessed to stabbing the victim because he is Arab. He is expected to appear at a Tel Aviv Magistrates Court this morning.

In response to the incident, Herzliya’s Mayor Moshe Fadlon condemned the attack, saying “We will not tolerate acts of violence against any human being,” He also pledged to reinforce police patrols in the area.

Yesterday’s incident follows a number of nationalistically motivated attacks targeting Jewish Israelis during the past several months, especially in Jerusalem. Most recently last week, a Palestinian man ploughed his car into a bus stop, killing a male commuter and seriously wounding another. Similar vehicle attacks in the city during the last few months have claimed the lives of three others.

However, there have also been reports of incidents targeting Arab residents in Jerusalem too. Last month, police investigated an incident in the French Hill neighbourhood after a 22-year-old Arab man suffered wounds to his back and legs after claiming he was attacked by two Jewish men. Meanwhile, according to Haaretz, in December a number of Arab city bus drivers were assaulted in several incidents.