Please click here for a list of posts relating to the Arab rioting throughout Israel in May 2021.
Gil Gabai; Photo credit: Honenu
Monday, January 15, 2024, 13:45 Today, the District Court of Lod sentenced a 17-year-old terrorist, a resident of Lod, to only five and a half years’ imprisonment for stabbing Meir Gabai in Lod during Operation Guardian of the Walls. The terrorist was convicted of aggravated assault and an act of terror. Gabai was stabbed in the back and hospitalized. Since the attack, Gabai and his family cannot function normally and are now undergoing lengthy rehabilitation. The lenient sentence was handed down despite the terrorist’s previous involvement in several extremely violent incidents for which he was convicted and despite his failure to express complete remorse for his acts. Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher is representing Gabai.
After the sentencing, Meir Gabai’s wife, Gil, said, “The terrorist left his house with the intent to viciously murder a Jew. Since the attack, we have experienced two years of hell. The very lenient penalty for a terrorist who has previous convictions will encourage him to commit the same act again. We fear very much for our safety. We ask the State Attorney’s office to appeal the sentence for the sake of the security of Israeli citizens.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher strongly criticized the decision: “Unfortunately, from the start, the indictment included only the crime of aggravated assault as an act of terror and not attempted murder. The victim suffered irrevocable damage, and the family has not functioned since the attack. The ruling does not reflect the danger that the terrorist poses to the public. After his release, he is liable to carry out another attack. He is a dangerous terrorist with previous convictions for severely violent incidents. We expect the State Attorney’s office to appeal the sentence and set a minimum penalty for cases like this. Such a terrorist should sit in prison for 20 years.”
In May 2021, as Gabai returned home from prayers in the synagogue, a group of Arabs attacked him with rocks as they called out, “Allah akbar.” One of the Arabs stabbed and injured Gabai with a pocketknife as his wife watched the attack from her window.