A Palestinian has been arrested by Israeli security forces overnight Monday for the murder of Dafna Meir in her home on Sunday evening, The Times of Israel reported.
The suspect was identified as 16-year-old Morad Bader Abdullah Adais from the village of Beit Amra, located nearly 2 miles from the West Bank community of Otniel where Meir was killed. Residents of Beit Amra informed Israeli authorities of Adais’ presence in the village, allowing him to be arrested without incident, according to Israel’s Channel 10.
Adais has reportedly confessed to killing Meir. His father was quoted telling Palestinian media outlets that he was “proud” of his son for committing the terror attack.
Meir’s 17-year-old daughter Renana, one of the three children who were at home on Sunday evening, witnessed the assault and identified her mother’s killer to authorities.
A pregnant Israeli woman, Michal Froman, was also stabbed and moderately wounded on Monday by 19-year-old Othman Muhammad Sha’alan, who was shot and injured by security forces.
The two stabbing attacks, both of which were carried out by teenage assailants, came in the wake of the release of a Palestinian Authority incitement index by the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy. The index, which was presented during the government’s weekly cabinet meeting, indicates that Palestinian youths are being increasingly encouraged to commit acts of violence by top Palestinian political and religious officials, with some programming on the PA’s official television channel even featuring “children calling for the murder of Jews.”
Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy Ministry Director General Sima Vaknin told the cabinet that roughly 37% of the attackers in the recent wave of violence have been under the age of 20.
According to Israel’s Magen David Adom medical emergency service, “29 people have been killed (including a Palestinian and a foreign worker), and 289 people injured – 25 of them seriously – in terrorist attacks” since September 13. Of those terror attacks, 108 have been stabbings, while 37 were car rammings and 22 were shootings.
[Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash90 ]