Two Arrested in Blue and White Rally Shooting to Remain in Custody

A Petach Tikvah court on Friday extended the remand of two individuals arrested Thursday night for firing off an air gun at a Blue and White party rally in Rechovot. The two suspects are residents of the city, ages 16 and 26. They were picked up several hours after the incident in Rishon LeTzion. Two party campaign workers were lightly injured from the plastic bullets fired by the air gun.

A motive has not yet been established, but police said that the two told them that the shooting was “a joke.” But Blue and White heads said that the incident was very serious. “We must halt all verbal and physical violence and ensure an active, fair and nonviolent election campaign,” said party head Benny Gantz. “We await the results of the police investigation and then we will come to conclusions. We will continue on our path, nothing will stop us.”

The rally was being led by Blue and White’s number two, Yair Lapid, and the shooting came at the conclusion of the rally. Less reticent than Gantz in his attribution of the shooting, Lapid said Friday that “we will not be intimidated and we will not be frightened off. We will continue to struggle to change the country, despite the violence and incitement against us,” he said.