Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem and here for a list of posts relating to the May 2021 Arab rioting throughout Israel.
Bab Hutta (illustrative purposes only); Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 17:33 Today (Tuesday), the Jerusalem Magistrates Court accepted a compromise agreement in a civil suit filed by Honenu Attorney Ophir Steiner on behalf of a Jew who was assaulted by an Arab during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. As a result of the agreement, the plaintiff was awarded 14,000 NIS in compensation, in addition to the 4,000 NIS awarded him when the assailant was sentenced to seven months of community service in criminal proceedings, in November 2022.
The statement of claim describes the assault: “In May 2021, the plaintiff, a resident of Jerusalem who dresses as a Hareidi Jew, was making his way from HaGai Street to the Bab Hutta neighborhood in Jerusalem. At the entrance to the neighborhood, he encountered a group of Arabs, including the defendant. The defendant turned to the plaintiff and warned him in Hebrew, “Don’t pass through an Arab neighborhood,” and added, “No. You don’t pass.” The plaintiff, who understood that he would not succeed in passing, turned around so that his back was facing the defendant. Then, in a racially motivated act, the defendant hit him in his left shoulder.
“As a result of the blow, the plaintiff’s glasses and hat fell to the ground. The plaintiff turned back toward the defendant and bent down to pick up his hat and glasses. Then the defendant hit him again, this time on his back. The plaintiff managed to pick up his hat and turned to leave the site. The defendant followed him and hit him again, on the head, knocking his hat to the ground for a second time. His motive was, again, racist. The plaintiff fled the scene. As a result of the attack, his left cheek was scratched and his glasses were damaged. The acts described above constitute assault by the defendant on the plaintiff, which caused him substantial injury and damage to his property.”
Honenu Attorney Ophir Steiner commented on the decision, “We welcome the court’s acceptance of the compromise agreement. Civil suits complement criminal proceedings and allow victims the opportunity to exact compensation from their assailants for their injuries. When racially and nationalistically motivated assailants who physically attack Jews are forced to pay compensation out of their own pockets, deterrence is increased, as is the feeling that justice has been done.”