Two Palestinian Authority Arabs were arrested over the Sukkot holiday on suspicion of murdering Reuven Shmerling, a 70-year-old Jewish man who was found dead in an industrial zone in the Israeli-Arab town of Kfar Kassem on Wednesday afternoon.
An Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) spokesperson said evidence gathered so far indicates this was a terror attack. The suspects, two Arabs from the town of Kabatiya, south of Jenin, are will be charged with murdering Shmerling, a resident of the town of Elkana in northeastern Samaria, out of nationalistic motivations.
The Shin Bet placed a gag order on all details of the investigation.
According to media reports following the murder, Shmerling employed Arab laborers at the site where his body was found. The initial reports claimed that one of the directions police were pursuing is that Shmerling was beaten to death by his laborers following a dispute over money.
A neighbor described Shmerling as a “charming man with a wonderful family” who served as a cantor at his local synagogue.
Elkana Regional Council head Assaf Mintzer added that it was “clear from the outset” to the Shmerling family and the entire community that the murder was committed for nationalist reasons.
“The crime scene and the way he was murdered left no doubt about it. We thank our security forces, the Shin Bet, the IDF and the police for catching the murderers and we expect them to take meaningful action against the terrorists and their bosses,” Mintzer said.