A Jewish Israeli man was detained for the third time in three weeks for spray-painting “There’s a holocaust in Gaza” in Hebrew in central Jerusalem.
“After previously spraying graffiti on a synagogue, the Western Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—and being released by court order—the suspect was re-arrested in Jerusalem,” the Israel Police said.
According to the police, the 27-year-old Jerusalem resident was arrested on Sunday for holding a sign reading “There is a holocaust in Gaza” and attempting to spray-paint the same message near the light rail stop across from the city’s central bus station.
The suspect managed to write “There is a holocaust” before being stopped, a picture shared by the police’s Spokesperson’s Unit showed.
On Aug. 11, the same suspect defaced the Western Wall in the area of the Ezrat Yisrael egalitarian prayer space as well as the outer walls of the city’s Great Synagogue with the inscription, “There is a holocaust in Gaza.” The vandalism was condemned across the political spectrum.
After the suspect admitted to vandalizing the holy site, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court decided to release him for psychological treatment.
On Aug. 25, the suspect was re-arrested near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, carrying a paint canister. During their searches of the area, officers discovered the same tag inside the Christian holy site.
Channel 12 reported last week that his family contacted Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel David Yosef and informed him that the suspect was dealing with serious mental health problems and had a history of hospitalization.
