Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem.
Thursday, October 20, 2022, 14:56 Yesterday (Wednesday), a group of Arabs attacked five Hareidi yeshiva students in Jerusalem. As the students were walking on Hevron Road, Arabs driving a car in the opposite lane suddenly appeared, recognized their Hareidi clothing, and sharply turned towards them in an attempt to run them over. Immediately after that, the car came to a screeching halt, and three Arabs got out and punched one of the students, who collapsed. He suffered a facial injury.
The assailants fled the scene, and the victim was transported to Sha’arei Tzedek Hospital. He required comprehensive examinations to rule out the possibility of a head injury and was released to recuperate at home. This morning (Thursday), the victim went to the police station to file a complaint about the attack. However, he was greatly shocked and disappointed to discover that the assailant who punched him had been detained by the police, but released approximately three hours later.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the victim, wrote a letter to the police demanding that all of the assailants be located, detained, and interrogated about the attack. Bleicher also requested information regarding whether or not the released detainee was released at the station, and if so, why. Bleicher also demanded that the police transfer the case as soon as possible to the office of the State Attorney so that all of the assailants can be indicted for racially motivated aggravated assault.
In reaction to the failure to detain the assailants, Bleicher stated, “There was an attempt to run over a group of yeshiva students. They were attacked for no reason other than their Jewish appearance. We demand that the police detain the assailants and put them on trial. The office of the State Attorney must act to penalize them to the fullest extent of the law. Jewish residents of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, must not be abandoned.”