The head of Lehava, a group that opposes Arab-Israeli coexistence and assimilation, was arrested.

Israeli police arrested Benji Gopstein, the group’s chairman, Dec. 16 in his West Bank hometown of Kiryat Arba, according to Israeli reports. Nine other Lehava members also were arrested on suspicion of incitement to violence.

The arrests came a day after three Lehava members were charged with vandalizing and setting fire to an Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem last month.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the lawyer for the arson suspects, said the arrests were due to “pressure from leftist politicians,” according to reports.

Lehava opposes intermarriage and joint Jewish-Arab initiatives.  — jta