NEW YORK (AP) - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) will meet with Jewish and Arab students during his visit to Israel this weekend.
A mayoral spokeswoman said Wednesday that de Blasio would visit a multicultural school known as Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel.
The school was the target of an arson attack in November.
The students include Israeli Arabs and Palestinians from Muslim and Christian families.
The spokeswoman said de Blasio considered a visit to the West Bank but that trip was cancelled due to security concerns.
A trip to Israel is a rite of passage for New York City mayors, who have a sizable number of Jewish constituents.
The visit with the Arab students, a rarity for city mayors, was first reported by The New York Times.
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