Judea and Samaria District Police on Sunday arrested a 20-year-old settler, Iscah Weiss, on suspicion of involvement in the torching of a Palestinian-owned car in Hebron in May. Weiss' arrest comes on the heels of the arrest of three other teenage girls suspected of involvement in the incident. Two of the girls were arrested in May, and another was arrested over the weekend.
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The first two youths arrested were released to house arrest due to their age, while Weiss and the fourth suspect had their remand extended by three days.
Weiss, the oldest of the suspects, is a resident of Kiryat Arba. Her brother Shmuel Weiss was killed in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002. Investigators arrested her at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, where she performs her national service.
Police suspect that, in addition to torching the Palestinian's car, the young women also insulted a police officer, destroyed public property and were involved in other disturbances. All four suspects have refused to cooperate with police.
Weiss' defense attorney, Naftali Wirtzberger, said on Sunday that his client poses no danger and that her detention is unjustified.
"These youth live under daily pressures, and the way in which their frustration erupts can sometimes be in an educational vein," Wirtzberger said. "This is like a modern-day version of 'Hasamba,'" he added, referring to an Israeli children's adventure novel series in which Tel Aviv youths help the Haganah battle the British in the struggle for Israeli statehood.
An associate of the youths said, "These are innocent girls who are capable of confessing to murdering [Zionist leader Haim] Arlozorov in an investigation room. It's unfortunate the police are pressuring them inappropriately."