The Israel Supreme Court has accepted the prosecution’s appeal calling for harsher sentences for Shlomo and Nachman Tuito, who were found guilty of the November 2014 arson attack against the Jerusalem Bilingual School.

The court on Sunday, 21 Shevat, accepted the state’s appeal seeking harsher prison sentences for the 18 and 20-year-old brothers from Betar Illit. Last July, a lower court handed down a two-year and two-and-a-half year prison term, which the prosecutor felt were too lenient considering the crime. The court increased the sentences to 32 and 38 months, adding eight months to each sentence.

Justice Tzvi Zilbertal stated the sentences handed down by the lower court were far too light considering the heinous nature of the hate crime. Justice Elyakim Rubinstein sided with his colleague against the ruling of the Jerusalem District Court.

The prosecution was asking for four to seven year sentences against the brothers who targeted the school which seeks to promote relations between Jews and Arabs.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)