Israeli police are gearing up for another night of violence, following the arrest of six Jews in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir last week.
Riots have flared on-and-off all day in Jerusalem and the Galilee. Routes 70 and 65 have been partially closed, and about 200 Arab citizens of Israel attacked police with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Eleven people were arrested, according to the Ynet website.
As of this writing, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said affected areas were “relatively quiet,” but he added that riot forces were preparing for a long night of violence in the capital and in the north.
Six suspects have been arrested in the murder of 16 year old Mohammad Abu Khdeir. Several of the suspects were minors.
Shocked many Israelis
The violence of the crime has shocked many in the country, who still find it hard to believe that Jews could be capable of such terror.
The young Arab teen, a resident of the northern Jerusalem suburb of Shuafat, was found dead in the Jerusalem forest last week. Burns covered 90 percent of his body and there were other signs of violence as well. The coroner allegedly reported that he had been burned alive, according to a source.
Arabs instantly used the murder as the excuse to launch a third intifada despite its immediate condemnation by the Israeli leadership before evidence existed the crime was committed by Jews.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has continued to call for an investigation by the United Nations into the murder, despite the fact that suspects have already been taken into custody by Israel Police.