Teens torch flag because they 'hate Israelis'

Police arrest teens aged 16, 17 after one of them tapes himself setting fire to flag, cursing Israel

Police youth investigators arrested two teens from the central city of Bat Yam on Wednesday on suspicion of torching a flag of Israel. One of them, who is 17, videotaped himself torching and trampling the flag while cursing the state and the police.

The officers stumbled upon the finding while investigating the teen, who immigrated to Israel a few years ago and currently attends one of the city's high schools, for another crime.

The other teen involved in the incident was also arrested, and when asked to explain his actions said simply, "I hate Israelis." The two are scheduled to be brought before the Rishon Letzion Magistrates' Court for a hearing on the remand of their arrests later Thursday. The two have no criminal record.


The investigation against the prime suspect began after a peer complained to the police that he filmed her in the school's bathrooms and threatened to spread the clip on the internet.

While going over the videos recorded on his cell phone, police found a video clip of him burning the Israeli flag.


This is not the first case of flag-burning to have been reported in Bat-Yam. Three years ago police arrested a group of six boys aged 12-15 who torched a flag and eight mezuzah parchments stolen from various doorways at one of the local schools. The teens gave a similar explanation, saying they hated "anything Jewish".

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