Give Peace a Chance: Parents erect signs denouncing racist violence after Jewish extremists firebombed a mixed Arab-Israeli school in Jerusalem. Image by getty images

The three suspects who confessed to carrying out an arson attack on a joint Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem have been identified as activists for a radical right-wing group.

The trio were captured in photos smiling in a Jerusalem courtroom as they appeared to face the charges.

The suspects, named as Yitzhak Gabai, 22; Nahman Twitto, 18; and Shlomo Twitto, 22, from the West Bank community of Beitar Ilit, are part of the Lehava organization, which works to prevent marriages between Jews and non-Jews.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The suspects confessed to the arson, the Shin Bet security service reported.

A fire was set in the classroom of the joint Arab-Jewish Max Rayne Hand In Hand Jerusalem School on Nov. 29.

A preliminary police investigation found that the blaze was set intentionally.

“Death to Arabs” and “There is no coexistence with cancer” were among the anti-Arab epithets spray-painted on the school walls.

Jewish-Arab tensions have risen in Jerusalem following a recent spate of violence.

The Hand In Hand Jerusalem School is Israel’s largest joint Arab-Jewish school and the only such primary and high school in the city. Five Hand in Hand schools are located throughout the country.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount