Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 18:20
Update: The deliberation was postponed in light of the necessity of the attorney for the defense to enter quarantine due to possible exposure to the Coronavirus.
At 9:00 a.m., on Wednesday, July 15, at the Central District Court in Lod, a deliberation will be held before Chief District Judge Ruth Lorch on the indictment of the terrorist who viciously stabbed a 62-year-old woman near the G Mall in K’far Saba on Israeli Memorial Day (this year April 27-28). After the terrorist stabbed the victim 12 times he was shot and incapacitated by a passer-by. The victim will be present in court accompanied by Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing her as a victim of terror.
The victim described the attack and her expectations from the judicial system : “I came out of it by a miracle, really at the last moment. I don’t take it for granted that I’m here talking today. He continued to stab me after I had fallen onto the ground. The amount of blood that I lost could have filled buckets.
“He is a despicable murderer, who did whatever he could to murder Jews for being Jews, on Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism. There was murder in his eyes. Like President [Reuven] Rivlin said, the war on terror must be uncompromising. We must create a deterrence and prevent the repeat of more attacks.”
“The level of deterrence must be higher. The terrorist attacked in broad daylight, on the afternoon of Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers. This is a holy day in the State of Israel, and anyone who attempts to desecrate it must pay a heavy price. The expectation is that the judicial system will show determination and independently raise the issue and give an opinion concerning an uncompromising war on terror. The lives of Israeli citizens must not be forsaken. We are relying on the court.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the victim as a victim of terror stated: “This terrorist broke a new record for murderous cruelty, attacking a 62-year-old woman, stabbing her twelve times, as she was trying to escape. This attack shows us what kind of extreme violence citizens of Israel are dealing with. We demand that the courts and the authorities respond with suitably forceful deterrence against brutal terror and appropriate penalization for brutal terror. We expect that at the end of the proceedings the court will impose the maximum penalty according to the law on the terrorist, no fewer than 25 years’ imprisonment.”
Additionally, Bleicher sent a letter to the GOC of the Central Command, Major-General Nadav Padan, demanding demolition of the terrorist’s house. From the letter: “The contemptible terrorist remained alive and was indicted for attempted murder. Several days after the attack the media publicized that IDF forces informed the terrorist’s family of their intent to demolish the family’s house. Beyond that, my client is not aware of anything that has been done to that end.
“The cruel and contemptible terrorist did everything he could to bring a Jewish woman to her death, only because she is a Jew, and he did it specifically on Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism. From time to time Islamic terror reaches new lows of baseness and cruelty. Against such terror we must act with determination and an iron fist.”
Bleicher described the attack: “The terrorist, a Tul Karem resident, verified that the woman waiting with him at the bus stop was Jewish. Then, with a murderous look in his eyes, he brutally punched her in the head. The victim fled towards the street as she shouted for help. The terrorist pulled out a knife and stabbed her with murderous intent.
“The victim fell into the street in a pool of her own blood. At this point the terrorist noticed that the knife had broken and he was holding only its handle. With inhuman determination he took the knife blade in his hand and continued to stab my client who was sprawled helplessly in the street.
“An armed citizen who was passing by shot and incapacitated the terrorist, thereby saving the life of the victim. She lost a large quantity of blood as a result of 12 stab wounds to various parts of her body and head injuries, and was evacuated to the hospital for life-saving treatment.”