Honenu Atty. Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 12:31 In March 2024, an Arab factory worker attacked a mentally challenged Jewish man who worked at a sheltered factory employing disabled workers. The police initially detained the assailant, but later released him despite his admission of the assault, and the case was closed without an indictment due to a supposed lack of evidence. Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher wrote a letter to the State Attorney’s office demanding that they reopen the investigative case and put the assailant on trial.
In his appeal, Attorney Bleicher described the assault: “On March 28, 2024, the appellee went on his break to a relaxation area outside the factory where he works, in the building yard common to other factories. At the same time, an Arab cleaner [the suspect] who works at an adjacent factory was sitting in the yard. When the appellee sat down in a corner far from the suspect, the latter shouted at him to leave the yard, cursed him for being a Jew, spat at him, and waved a rock at him threateningly. The appellee tried to respond to the suspect, but he was then attacked by the Arab who jumped on him in a frenzy, knocked him to the ground, and kicked him all over his body. The suspect then took the appellee’s cell phone, smashed it on his head, and then shattered it. People who heard the shouts arrived and attempted to separate the suspect from the appellee. The suspect then lifted a large rock intending to throw it at the appellee’s face while shouting that he was going to kill him, but the people at the site stopped the attack.” Attorney Bleicher cited in the appeal that even now, months after the assault, the victim suffers from sharp, penetrating pain and anxiety that prevent him from returning to a normal life.
In the appeal, Attorney Bleicher leveled criticism at the police for their failures in the investigation, noting that the assailant had admitted under interrogation that he had assaulted the victim: “From the investigative material that we received now, it appears that the suspect admitted to the assault and that he was not using an excuse of self defense, but rather claiming that the appellee had cursed and spat at him, which on his part, legitimized the brutal attack. He also claimed that the appellee had hit him. In fact, the suspect left the site completely uninjured whereas the appellee had gone to the police to file a complaint with bruises all over his body. The appellee, who is still suffering from his injuries, has consistently asserted that he did not assault the suspect at all. The case has been insufficiently investigated. However, the current evidence indicates that there is a more than sufficient basis to indict the suspect. This extremely severe assault resulted in the serious injury of a helpless individual. The attack shows all the symptoms of a nationalist and terrorist crime when taking into account that it occurred during the fast of Ramadan and the Iron Swords War.
“The fact that the authorities closed the case without charging the assailant reflects their complete indifference to the security of citizens and the suffering of the victim who even before the attack had a serious disability. The callous attitude of the investigators towards my client led to him being interrogated without anyone to accompany him for support despite his disability, and contrary to the provisions of the law. Not only was the case against the despicable suspect closed on the grounds of lack of evidence, but the police opened a criminal file against my client. This is clear proof of discrimination against a Jew without any connection to actual events A handicapped man who could not have harmed a fly fell victim to a cruel, violent terrorist. Not only are the authorities being negligent in failing to prosecute the suspect, but they are staining the character of the victim in the form of a criminal record that is unjustifiable no matter how one examines the situation.”
At the conclusion of the appeal, Attorney Bleicher demanded that the State Attorney’s office reopen the case and put the assailant on trial: “Closing a case against a suspect who carried out such a disgraceful act, despite the evidence and the serious injuries that the victim incurred, gives the impression that Israeli citizens are not protected and abandons their personal security in the face of Islamic terror. I demand a reopening of the case and an examination of the nationalistic motive. The case should be transferred to the District Attorney’s office, and they should indict the suspect.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher issued a statement: “In the eyes of Islamist enemies, the life and body of a Jew are worthless. They only search for opportunities to attack. Terror attacks must not be ignored. Israeli citizens and the governmental authorities must work together and act to eradicate terror and penalize terrorists to the full extent of the law. Every complaint of violence such as this must be answered with a maximum effort to gather evidence and severely penalize the assailant. We expect the police and the State Attorney’s office to invest due resources in every case like this and to ensure that the assailant will sit in prison for many years.”