Arab who slapped Jewish youth is arrested
Arab who slapped Jewish youth is arrestedFrom the video

A 21-year-old Arab from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina was arrested by Israel Police on suspicion of slapping a Jewish youth on the light rail train and uploading footage of the incident to TikTok.

The suspect was interrogated and will be brought Friday morning to court, where police are expected to request an extension of his arrest.

The police investigation is ongoing.

Knesset members on Thursday night condemned the attack, demanding that the attacker be arrested. Housing Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) responded: "The footage of a youth being attacked on the light rail train in Jerusalem, by who seems to be a terrorist, is extremely horrifying."

"We cannot ignore this, and Israel Police must immediately arrest the attacker. Today it is an ostentatious slap, and tomorrow it might be a knife or a shooting. This attacker belongs in jail."

MK Amit Halevi (Likud) said that the suspected attacker "must be immediately arrested, tonight. The immediacy is no less important than the arrest itself."

MK Ofer Cassif, of the Joint Arab List, said the incident constitutes "violence which arouses aversion" and "racist." He added: "I wish to send support to the young man who was attacked, and I demand that this State fight, once and for all, against all types of racism and ensure that everyone has a safe space which is free of violence."

MK Itamar Ben Gvir (Religious Zionism), said Thursday night: "A hilltop youth who uploaded to social media a video of himself slapping an Arab would be arrested within minutes. If this young man is not arrested tonight, we can disband the Jerusalem police."

Also on Thursday night, MK Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, said: "Israel Police needs to use all of its technological abilities in order to lay its hands, tonight, on this miserable person and lock him behind bars."

On Twitter, Lehava Chairman Bentzi Gopstein asked his followers: "Anyone who knows where this dog lives should send me a private message ASAP."