Arrest (Illustrative)
Arrest (Illustrative)Thinkstock

Israeli police reported on Monday that five residents of the Israeli Arab village Umm al-Fahm and the Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tur were arrested in the morning, after threatening a Zionist Arab teenager who called for the release of the kidnapped Israeli teens.

The official Twitter account of the police noted that the five were arrested by inspectors of the coastal region department on suspicion of having threatened a 17-year-old resident of Umm al-Fahm "who published on Facebook a statement of support for the release of the kidnapped."

Four of the arrested suspects were from Umm al-Fahm, notes Walla!, with the fifth hailing from Abu Tur. The news site added the five will be brought on Monday for a discussion on extending their arrest at the Haifa Magistrates Court.

The Zionist Arab youth uploaded a picture of himself to Facebook, in which he was seen with a large Israeli flag and a sign reading "#Bring Back Our Boys" with a Jewish Star of David on it.

Speaking to Yedioth Aharonoth two weeks ago, the youth said he submitted a complaint to Israeli police over the flood of death threats he received in the wake of the post, to which an investigation was opened by the police.

Anonymous users responded to the Facebook post with threats, such as "we want to murder you," "you can't be left alive," "you're a traitor," and "you shouldn't go out in Umm al-Fahm." Since the threats, the youth feared for his life to the point where he stopped attending school, saying "I'm even afraid to leave the house."

"I call for the return of the kidnapped youths. That path won't bring peace, it only destroys the process. The Arab society has to understand us and respect our position," added the youth.

The young Zionist Arab was asked about anti-Zionist Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad), who justified the kidnapping two weeks ago while insulting her young relative Mohammed Zoabi over his statements calling for the release of the kidnapped teens.

"I think that with her words she destroys the relations between Arabs and Jews," the Arab youth said of MK Zoabi. "We want representatives in the Knesset who will speak professionally and not destructively. I call on Zoabi to say she represents only herself and not the Arab society in Israel."

"I'm against the kidnapping and there are a lot of Arab citizens of Israel who support the state of Israel and the peace process," he added.