Arab assailant given lenient sentence

Monday, February 27, 2017, 18:41 A particularly lenient sentence was handed down to an Arab youth who blinded a Jewish youth in one eye. Despite the fact that after the incident the assailant was involved with other violations, for some of which he was convicted, he was sentenced only to community service.
The incident occurred approximately five years ago. Three Jewish youths were walking to the Western Wall. When they passed through one of the alleyways of the Old City of Jerusalem, several Arab youths harassed them. When the Jewish youths returned, the Arab youths were still in the same place and shot marbles at them with slingshots. One of the Jewish youths was injured in one eye and evacuated to the Hadassa Ein Kerem Hospital. He was hospitalized for several days, underwent an operation, and lost almost all sight in his injured eye.
The youth turned to Honenu for legal counsel. Honenu assisted the youth in realizing his rights as a crime victim and he was recognized as a victim of a terror attack. He was awarded disability benefits and the State paid his sizable medical expenses.
Honenu has been following the trial of the Arab assailant, who was detained and indicted for aggravated injury with a non-lethal weapon and attempting to injure the other youths. Despite the seriousness of the incident, the assailant was released. Later he was involved with incidents of rioting and assault of a policeman.
In mid-February 2017 Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado, who is handling the injured youth’s case, was informed that the assailant, who is now 18 years old, has been sentenced to only six months of community service, despite the seriousness of the injury and the fact that he has been accused and convicted of other incidents.
Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado: “The penalty is ridiculous and not proportionate to the damage done and the severity of the acts committed by the assailant. The penalty also does not serve as a deterrent against the increasing Arab nationalist violence, a large portion of which is carried out by minors. Unfortunately this sentence is liable to be perceived as a license to injure Jews.”