Entrance to Givat Assaf; Photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 7:53 One month ago, a demonstration was held at the Givat Assaf Junction in the Binyamin region protesting the security situation following the murder of Yehonatan Deutsch, Hy”d, the previous day in a terror attack in the Jordan Valley. The protesters stood on the side of the road as ordered to by soldiers on the scene. One of the protesters started to cross the street when suddenly a car driven by an Arab swerved and ran into him. The youth was thrown into the air and seriously injured. The Arab driver fled the scene and was detained a short time later. However, the police subsequently released him without charges, claiming that the incident had been a traffic accident.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the injured youth, wrote a letter to the GOC of the Central Command, Major-General Avi Bluth demanding that the terrorist driver be arrested. Attorney Bleicher also wrote on the matter to the state comptroller’s office. In response, Attorney Bleicher was informed that the police had changed the classification of the incident from accidental to criminal. He then wrote an additional letter to verify that the Arab suspect had been arrested, but the reply from the police was not what he expected. The police classified the incident as criminal with regard to the Jewish protesters, whom they claim threw rocks at the swerving car. The police do not intend to investigate the driver for intentionally running into the youth.
Attorney Bleicher wrote another letter to the Yehuda and Shomron District Police Commander criticizing the police and demanding that they arrest the terrorist and put him on trial: “It is not clear if someone is trying to make a mockery out of either the Public Complaints Commissioner or perhaps the undersigned. However, from the response to my letter, one may understand that the police recognized the incident as an intentional act, not an accident, and should act accordingly. The undersigned wrote to the Binyamin Police Investigation Department requesting verification that the investigation was proceeding. The reply received was that traffic inspectors interrogated the driver, but no charges were made against him. Now, accusations of ‘rock throwers’ are being examined. In other words, the police have made up their minds to absolve the car-ramming terrorist of all guilt and instead to search for guilty parties among the protesters at the junction. Each failure in the investigation has led to another. The authorities are attempting to turn the terrorist into a victim at the expense of everyone’s security. The incident was filmed. The terrorist ran into my client without attempting to stop, and afterward sped off. No rocks were thrown at the car before the attack. Turning a blind eye and leaving the terrorist free is a failure of the highest order. I demand the immediate arrest of the terrorist, the investigation of the incident as a terror attack, and the prosecution of the terrorist to the fullest extent of the law.”
Honenu Attorney Bleicher: “Unfortunately, instead of correcting their failure and arresting the terrorist, the police are mocking us and the audit institutions. They released the terrorist and are busy looking for Jewish suspects. I would like to reiterate that we are fighting for the security of all Israeli citizens. The disregard of our demands does not contribute to national security, but instead harms it.”