Ephraim Sneh
Photo: Yaron Brener
Former MK Ephraim Sneh's car torched
Chairman of Yisrael Hazaka party, which has vowed to fight crime, discovers his rented car up in flames outside his Herzliya home Saturday night. Police also looking into threat calls received by Sneh
The car of former Labor
Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh, chairman of the Yisrael Hazaka
("Strong Israel") party, was torched Saturday night near his home in Herzliya. The car was completely burned.
Firefighters were dispatched to the house at around 4:20 am after Sneh saw the fire. They discovered the former MK's rented vehicle up in flames and ruled that it had been torched. The investigation was handed over to the police.
The police launched an investigation into the incident, but the circumstances are still unclear and no arrests have been made.
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The Tel Aviv District Police said Sneh had received a threat call before discovering his car. He told the police officers that the person who called him had said, "Like we burned your vehicle – we'll burn you as well."
The torched car
Sneh told Ynet, "I was called to come downstairs and move my car because there was another vehicle up in flames in the parking lot. When I went down I saw it was my car, a Hyundai Getz.
"I have no doubt it was torched as part of the criminal offensive on public figures seeking to fight crime," he said.
"Last month saw four incidents in which mayors were attacked across the country by crime families. The Israel Police will check who is behind this incident. I'm not afraid. As a person who has fought terror for dozens of years, nothing will deter me – definitely not threats," he concluded.
Yisrael Hazaka's election campaign has focused in recent weeks on the need to reinforce the battle against criminal elements. Sneh even called for an Operation Cast Lead against the crime families. The campaign's slogan is: "Terminating crime is possible."
When he presented his party's Knesset list, the former MK said, "What we have been witnessing recently is a terrifying deterioration, a 1930s Chicago. I have reached the conclusion that of all the social issues, the most serious one is the lack of civil safety."
He added that he would demand the Internal Security portfolio should he receive the public's trust in the February 10 Knesset elections.
Roi Mandel and Avi Cohen contributed to this report
