Two 18-year old Palestinians stalked, ambushed, then hacked to death a 42-year old Jewish man on Sunday, as he prayed at his usual spot. (Hat tip: Israellycool.)

The defense establishment on Monday night arrested two Palestinians suspected of murdering Erez Levanon, a resident of the Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion. The arrest, which took place in the village of Beit Omar near the scene of the murder, was cleared for publication Monday afternoon.

information attained by the defense establishment indicated that the murder was carried out by two terrorists who were hiding in a building in the village of Beit Omar, not far from where the stabbing took place. The two suspects were identified as Khader Abu Daya and Moussa Khalil. …
 
In their interrogation, the two confessed to carrying out the murder, which they said was planned earlier, including patrols of the area. On the day of the attack, the two left their village in possession of knives, and after spotting Levanon they ambushed him and stabbed him to death for nationalistic motives.
 
Levanon, a 42 year-old father of three, was stabbed to death not far from his vehicle. Palestinians reported finding the body, between Bat Ayin and Beir Omar, to the Palestinian security authorities. Security searches after suspects focused on Beit Omar and Hirbat Sapa near the wadi. …

Levanon kept a routine schedule of Torah studies, and spent one hour each day at a secluded location communing with God. His friend, Rabbi Michi Yossefi, said that Levanon was apparently murdered while praying at his usual spot.

UPDATE at 2/26/07 3:51:59 pm:

Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for settler’s murder.

The Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for a stabbing attack which left an Israeli man dead on Sunday night.

The body of 42-year old Erez Levanon, of Gush Etzion, was found in an alleyway in the Palestinian village of Beit Omar, north of Hebron. On Monday, the IDF arrested two Palestinians for the murder.

In a statement released on Islamic Jihad’s website on Monday evening, the group said two members of its al-Quds Brigades were “able to lure a settler into an agricultural area, and fatally stab him several times.”