For a selection of cases in which Honenu Attorneys have represented victims of rock or Molotov cocktail attacks, please click here, and for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem, please click here.
Thursday, December 1, 2022, 8:43 Approximately two months ago, during the Succot holiday, an Arab mob attacked a Jewish family in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of Jerusalem. (See video below.) The police opened an investigation into the attack, detained three of the attackers, and an indictment was filed against them. However, last week the Jerusalem District Juvenile Court Judge Ohad Gordon ordered their release to house arrest, contrary to the position of the State Attorney. The office of the State Attorney appealed to the Supreme Court. At the beginning of the week, Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit rejected the appeal.
In his decision, Justice Amit wrote, “The respondents [the attackers] are from normative families and were not involved with criminal acts previously. Their remand has been difficult for them and apparently, they have learned their lesson. The respondents are currently staying in Damon Prison alongside security prisoners. I, for one, am not convinced that that is beneficial for either the respondents or the interests of the State.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the family, leveled sharp criticism at Justice Amit: “Despite repeated murderous attacks on Israeli citizens, the courts are inexplicably releasing terrorists to the streets, time after time. It is a disgrace that the courts prioritize the comfort of terrorists over the security of Israeli citizens.”
The family’s car after the attack; Video credit: Liran Tamari, police reporter, Yedioth Ahronoth and Mynet Jerusalem
The attack occurred during the Succot holiday, as the family was driving to their home in the Neve Ya’akov neighborhood of Jerusalem. As they drove near the Beit Hanina neighborhood, dozens of Arab rioters blocked most of the street leading from Begin Boulevard to Neve Ya’akov, leaving only a narrow passageway. When the family drove past the site, the rioters threw rocks at their car, shattering the windows. The mother suffered cuts, and the children were covered with glass shards.
The rioting attackers also tried to open the car doors. At some point, when a rock hit the window next to the mother, another attacker completely shattered the window. One of the other attackers reached inside and tried to punch her in the head. A large rock thrown at the baby seat hit it and miraculously landed between his legs. The family, some of whom were injured, finally succeeded in escaping.