A teen studying at a high school in the central Israeli city of Rehovot was seriously wounded on Tuesday after he was stabbed on school premises.
Rehovot Municipality officials said that several reports were made to local police several days prior to the incident about threats against the assailed 16-year-old. “The writing was on the wall,” said an official in the high school the teen attends.
An initial investigation has found that suspects jumped over the school’s fence and chased the teen to the principal’s office and stabbed him in the head in front of the school secretary before fleeing the scene.
“A school isn’t a fortress. Even schools with fences constructed according to regulations can be vaulted over if there isn’t a security guard around,” Rehovot Municipality Director General Meir Dahan said.
“This is an issue exclusive to Rehovot but all over Israel. We’re fighting violence with all the tools we have, but we have an issue with sovereignty that is also affecting the education system.”
Sharon Avni, a regional director for the Rehovot school, said the school’s staff still needs time to come to terms with the incident. “This is a complex issue that was never seen before, where teens enter the schools and hurt a student.”
“The principal and staff are thinking only about ways to bring back safety to the school, and for the students to feel safe within it,” he added. “They will convene tonight and over the coming days to bring back safety both to students and staff.”
Police arrested four suspects shortly after the incident, including three teens and an 18-year-old man, and are checking whether the victim had any prior conflict with the suspects. Security camera footage was also seized to confirm the suspects’ arrival on the scene and figure out how the suspects managed to enter the school.
“It’s a quiet school,” one of the students said. “I heard shouting and saw the teen being carried to an ambulance. It’s frightening, what do we have a security guard at the gate for? To protect the students, and for someone to be stabbed here is scary.”
A student in a school nearby to the one where the stabbing took place said, “I heard that masked men entered the school from the back entrance, carrying stones and wooden planks, with one carrying a knife. School not being a safe place for a student is absurd.”
Police refused to comment on the incident.
Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton instructed schools in Israel to dedicate the first period of Wednesday to talks on preventing violence. According to the Education Ministry, the instructions were given following several serious cases of violence at schools.
According to the Education Ministry, schools will focus on creating an inviting and respectful environment, while discussing causes for violence and encouraging the students to take personal responsibility.
“The violence in Israeli society has become an epidemic and entered the education system,” Shaha-Biton said. “Acts of violence in which teens are involved require the education system to continue the discussion on preventing violence and stopping it if necessary. Our message is clear – there will be no violence in our schools.”
Education Ministery Director-General Dalit Stauber said that “the education system is taking a clear stand against acts of violence that have spread throughout Israeli society. Every student has the ability to make an impact and change this society into an understanding and tolerant one.”