Shelly Dadon
Shelly DadonCourtesy of the Dadon Family

Minister of Public Security Yitzchak Aharonovich said surprisingly Monday that the murder of Afula resident Shelly Dadon, 19, may not be a nationalistic crime after all.

"It cannot be determined with certainty that the murder was carried out from nationalistic motivation,” said Aharonovich. “All avenues of investigation are being checked.”

Aharonovich was speaking as he toured the Israeli-Arab city of Umm el-Fahm, at locations where alleged “price tag” vandalism attacks took place recently. He used the occasion to strongly denounce the vandalism, which is believed to have been perpetrated by Jewish nationalists.

A week ago, Aharonovich visited the home of Dadon's grieving parents and told them that there had been a “dramatic” development in the investigation into the murder of the young woman, who had gone to Migdal Ha'emek for an job interview.

His choice of venue for his latest statement could be seen as less than sensitive, since Dadon's grieving relatives have already pointed in pain to the fact that politicians seem to be far more concerned with the “price tag” attacks, which involve no injuries, than with the savage murder of Shelly.

Israel's main TV channel, Channel 2, opened its evening newscast following the murder with reports about the death of Asi Dayan and Prime Minister Netanyahu's troubled coalition, and only reported about Dadon's murder as its third item.