Israeli police say a Jewish man stabbed an Arab Israeli on Monday. The assailant allegedly yelled "death to Arabs" before attacking the man in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the assailant was arrested following the attack. She added that the Jewish man confessed to attacking the man for being an Arab and "claimed he committed the act for nationalistic reasons."

The Arab Israeli, a 27-year-old municipality worker from the Galilee village of Kafr Manda, sustained light injuries to the shoulder and required medical attention.

The assailant is set to appear in court on Tuesday.

Rising tensions

Tensions have been high between Jews and Arabs since the war in Gaza last summer, during which Israel launched a ground offensive, the first since Operation Cast Lead in 2008. The conflict is believed to have resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Palestinians, including 500 children.

Jerusalem has been a flashpoint site after Israel prohibited Muslims from visiting the al-Aqsa complex, which Jews call Temple Mount, in October of last year. A series of lone-wolf Palestinian attacks on Israelis have occurred since then, including a driver ramming his car into five Israeli pedestrians in east Jerusalem.

The Arab Israeli community is comprised of 1.3 million Palestinians whose decendents stayed on their land following the creation of Israel in 1948. They make up approximately 20 percent of Israel's population.

lc/rc (AP, AFP)