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Hateful graffiti sprayed near the bilingual school in Jerusalem. Photo by Israel Police Spokesperson
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by Nir Hasson

On last day of the school year, children arrived to find swastikas, hateful slogans sprayed on the wall.

Racist graffiti was found on Tuesday morning near the Max Rayne Hand in Hand bilingual school in Jerusalem.

The graffiti on walls adjacent to the school included racist remarks about Arabs, as well as swastikas, and was reported to Israel Police.

The Max Rayne Hand in Hand Jerusalem School is the country's largest Jewish-Arab institution. It has been co-run by a Jewish and an Arab principal since its founding in 1998 by the Hand in Hand non-governmental organization.

The Hand in Hand organization posted pictures of the graffiti on its Facebook page, along with the following statement:

"Like kids throughout the country, the elementary school students at the Max Rayne Hand in Hand Jerusalem school arrived excited for their last day of school today. Their excitement was cut short at the sight of hateful anti-Arab graffiti that was painted on the side of the school. The school principals, that have experienced this hateful vandalism many times before, made sure to clean it off right away. The students decided to get right to work - they made signs that said "Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies" and put it up over where the graffiti had been.This is our answer, and we continue to believe and live this every day"

Last November, the school was the target of arsonists, who set fire to the school, and also sprayed racist graffiti at the scene. The arsonists were subsequently arrested, admitted to their crimes and their ties to the right-wing Lehava organization.

Last week, Israel Police began investigating a church fire near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel, on suspicion that it was a hate crime.