dafna natan meir Image by Handout

JERUSALEM — The Palestinian teenager who stabbed a mother of six to death in her West Bank home was under the influence of Palestinian television, the Shin Bet security service said.

PA Television portrays Israel as a state which “kills Palestinian youths,” the Shin Bet said in a statement released Sunday on the progress of the investigation.

The suspect, Morad Bader Abdullah Adais, 16, was arrested in a nearby Palestinian village and reportedly has confessed to the murder of Dafna Meir, 38, of Otniel.

Forwarding the News

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

Terms(Required)

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

Email(Required)

“On the day of the murder, while under the influence of the programs he had been exposed to on Palestinian television, the minor decided to commit a stabbing attack with the goal of murdering a Jew,” the Shin Bet said in the statement. “Given the proximity of Otniel to his place of residence, he decided to commit the attack in Otniel.”

Meir was stabbed to death while fighting off her attacker in what is believed to have been an attempt to save three of her children who were at home. Her 17-year-old daughter witnessed the attack. The assailant ran off after he was unable to remove the knife from Meir’s body.

The murder “underscores yet again the severity of the threat posed by the wild incitement being carried out against the State of Israel and Jews in the Palestinian media, which influences lone attackers to commit murder and other serious acts of terrorism,” the Shin Bet said.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

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. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount