Active prison terms, 30,000 NIS compensation imposed on terrorists

Tuesday, September 4, 2018, 9:28 The Military Court in Yehuda sentenced three terrorists who detonated an explosive device in a terror attack to active prison terms and ordered them to pay 30,000 NIS in compensation to two women injured in the attack. The attack occurred approximately two and a half years ago. A three-member terrorist cell detonated an explosive device on Route 60 as an Israeli car which had exited the community of Otniel passed. Two Jewish women who were traveling in the car were startled by the loud explosion. After dirt filled the car and it was damaged by shrapnel, they fled the scene and summoned security forces.
The indictment mentioned that the defendants attempted to deliberately cause the death of the women and the three terrorists were accused of that crime. One of the defendants was also accused of involvement with making the bomb. Another was accused of carrying, possessing and manufacturing weapons.
In the verdict which was handed down three months before the sentencing, in a plea bargain between the sides, the terrorists were sentenced to differing prison terms, and also ordered to pay compensation of 30,000 NIS, which was recently transferred to the injured women.
Honenu reported that this is part of a growing trend of victims of terror involved with legal proceedings against terrorists who injured them, including at the military court. Their involvement assists with tightening the penalties of the terrorists and very often the injured parties are awarded monetary compensation for the injuries which they sustained.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who has been assisting the women injured in the attack, stressed that what is unique about this case is that even though they were not physically injured, they were awarded large sums of compensation which are generally awarded only in the case of a physical injury in a terror attack. Also what is new in this case is that the court handed down significant prison sentences to the terrorists in addition to exacting compensation, as opposed to previous rulings which imposed monetary compensation for the injured parties, and reduced the active prison sentences for terrorists.
“We regard as significant the fact that the terrorists are forced to pay actual money to the injured parties,” stated Bleicher, and added that, “A message is being sent concerning the terrorists: In addition to their having to sit in prison for their acts, their money will serve the benefit of the injured parties whom they wanted to slaughter only because they were Jews. We will continue to assist victims of terror in order to tighten the penalties handed down to terrorists, and thereby cause the terrorists to pay with their funds for their despicable acts. Our goal is that the legal system will consider the plight of the victims, and not have mercy on murderous terrorists.”