Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem.
Monday, March 14, 2022, 11:25 Approximately three years ago, an Arab woman choked R., a hareidi yeshiva student, near Sha’ar Shechem (Damascus Gate). Two and a half years later, the Attorney General’s office closed the case against her without an indictment, despite video clips from security cameras documenting the attack (see below) and her admission under interrogation.
Arab terrorist in red circle, Jewish victim in yellow circle; Video credit: Case evidence
Honenu Attorney Ophir Steiner, who is representing R., filed an appeal demanding that the terrorist be put on trial for nationalistically motivated assault. In the appeal, Steiner wrote that R.’s testimony is corroborated by the video clips from the security cameras and that the assailant admitted to identifying his hareidi appearance.
“The video clip indicates that the attack was intentional and dangerous. The complainant felt that he was being choked, and succeeded in escaping only when [both he and the assailant] fell to the ground. The evidence is enough to prove that the assailant attacked the complainant out of a racist motive.” Steiner added that this is a serious offense, because it was racially motivated, and that the penalty should reflect that.
In conclusion, Steiner wrote, “One must not be lenient with an incident in which a Jew who was walking down the street, minding his own business, was violently attacked solely because he was Jewish. The assailant must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law so that others are deterred. This is in the utmost public interest: maintaining public security and preventing racially-nationalistically motivated violent incidents. Therefore the case must be reopened and the assailant brought to trial.”
In the video clip of the attack, R., a hareidi yeshiva student, is seen walking through the Muslim Quarter near Sha’ar Shechem. Raja Amar, the terrorist, suddenly rushed over to R. and wrapped both of her hands around his neck from behind. R., startled by the strangulation attempt, attempted to free himself from her grasp, and both of them fell to the ground.
R. quickly got up, left the site, and reported the attack at a nearby police post. The police detained the terrorist thanks to documentation by security cameras. Under interrogation, Amar admitted to the attack: “I raised a hand to him, like you see in the video clip,” and said that she had come to pray on the Temple Mount without the appropriate entrance permits.