Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Monday, October 28, 2024, 16:50 In May 2023, an Arab woman assaulted a ten-year-old Jewish boy as he was walking in the Old City of Jerusalem. She suddenly jumped in front of him, beat him, and pulled one of his side curls. The boy’s family filed a complaint with the police, and the assailant was detained and interrogated. However, despite video evidence from police security cameras, the case was closed on the grounds that it was not suitable for criminal proceedings.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher appealed the decision to the State Attorney’s office in April 2024. Recently, the Appeals Department of the State Attorney’s office ruled that the police did not have the authority to close the case. The case will be reopened and reviewed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s office. As of now, the police has not transferred the video evidence to Attorney Bleicher.
In the appeal, Attorney Bleicher described the assault: “On May 20, 2023, my client returned from the Western Wall to his home on HaGai Street [in a group] with a guarded escort. At some point, he happened to meet his father, stopped for a moment to speak with him, and then hurried to return to the group that had continued on their way. During that time, an Arab woman noticed that he was alone and decided to harass him. Her motive was antisemitic. She approached and startled him while violating his personal space. The frightened boy asked her to back off and leave him alone. In response, she pulled one of his side curls and beat him in his face and body. The terrified boy shouted, ‘Help!,’ to the escort, but they could not hear him. Fortunately, two Jewish youths passed the site, and he turned to them for assistance. The assailant stopped and walked away.”
Attorney Bleicher commented on the case: “Closing a case despite having video recording of an Arab adult attacking a Jewish child is a failure of the highest level by the police, who did not have the authority to close it. We expect the State Attorney’s office to handle the case with the utmost seriousness, and all antisemitic attacks must be treated decisively We will follow this case until the authorities prosecute the Islamist assailant to the full extent of the law.”