Thursday, August 1, 2024, 9:08 Eighteen months ago, an Arab driver attacked a Jew driving in northern Israel. The assailant was arrested and convicted of actual assault, malicious vandalism, and unlawful stopping and disrupting of traffic. He was sentenced in criminal proceedings to seven months’ community service, and the victim was awarded NIS 10,000 compensation. Recently, Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher filed a NIS 150,000 civil suit against the assailant with the Nof HaGalil Magistrates Court on behalf of the victim.
The assault on Route 754; Videos courtesy of the videorgraphers
Attorney Bleicher described the completely unjustified assault: “On April 24, 2023, the claimant was driving on Route 754 in Kfar Kana toward Tiberias, near a Paz gas station. The one-lane road widened into two lanes, and as the claimant entered the right lane, he passed a silver-toned Toyota Corolla driven by the defendant. After the claimant passed the defendant on the right, the latter stopped his car in the middle of the road, blocking traffic behind him
“The defendant got out of his car and walked towards the claimant, who had stopped his car in the right lane. The defendant attempted to open the claimant’s car’s front door but the claimant locked it. The defendant then punched the claimant in his face and upper body, as he sat in his car, attempting to defend himself. The claimant was injured in the face, with blood streaming from his nose, and he was transported by ambulance to Poriya Hospital. After treatment he was released to his home, but several hours later, the claimant returned to the hospital due to worsening headaches and vomiting.”
Attorney Bleicher commented on the case: “We constantly encounter gratuitous violence by Arabs towards Jews – sometimes on the road, sometimes at entertainment venues, and sometimes at kayak rental sites on the Jordan River. It’s as if the personal security of Israeli citizens has been abandoned. No more. We will make every effort and use all means at our disposal to ensure that assailants pay a high price for their acts. We also expect the criminal court to increase penalties as a deterrent to future crimes of this nature.