Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Monday, November 11, 2024, 16:26 In August 2023, Arabs attacked a Jewish family in the City of David neighborhood of Jerusalem after they reproached an Arab driver for reckless driving. In response, the Arabs in the car and others at the scene punched them, smashed their heads into a wall, and sprayed them with pepper spray. After the incident, Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher filed a complaint with the police on behalf of the family. Five attackers were detained, but the State Attorney’s office transferred the investigative case to a prosecuting unit of the police that cannot indict defendants for either acts of terror or racially motivated crimes. Attorney Bleicher sent a letter to the Jerusalem District Attorney’s office asking them to resume handling the investigative case that they had transferred to the police. The request was denied.
Two of the attackers were convicted, but not of acts of terror. Several months ago, they were sentenced to community service, and the victims were awarded compensation. Following the conviction, Attorney Bleicher filed a civil suit for NIS 160,000 against the two attackers on behalf of the victims. Additionally, he filed a request for recognition of the incident as an act of terror, which, if granted, will exempt the victims from court fees.
In the letter that Attorney Bleicher sent to the police, he described the attack: “My clients, two brothers in their teens, were standing with their mother on Ma’alot Street in the City of David, after visiting the Shiloah Pool. Suddenly, a car emerged from the top of the street and sped recklessly on the narrow street where my clients were standing. My startled clients called out to the driver to slow down because his driving was dangerous. To their shock, in response to the legitimate request, the driver stopped his car in the middle of the street. The Arab passengers got out and approached my clients with malicious intent in a threatening manner.
“Additional Arab youths came out of the houses lining the street and joined them. It seemed as if they had been waiting for an excuse to attack my Jewish clients. The Arabs punched my clients in their heads and smashed their heads against a wall. Their mother tried to protect them, but [the Arabs] mercilessly attacked her too. The attackers also sprayed my clients with pepper spray directly in their faces, causing them great pain and suffering.”
Attorney Bleicher issued a statement: “We filed a civil suit over a serious antisemitic attack. Unfortunately, the State grievously failed in their handling of the criminal investigation. The defendants were not charged with acts of terror or antisemitism, and therefore they evaded a substantial penalty. We are working with all the tools at our disposal to rectify the injustice, and to ensure that the attackers pay a considerable price for their despicable acts.”