Please click here for a list of posts relating to the mid-May Arab rioting throughout Israel and click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu has represented victims of rock or Molotov cocktail attacks.
Sunday, February 13, 2022, 16:09 On Sunday, February 13, the Haifa District Court convicted Bilal Hiluani, one of the defendants charged with the terror attack on Mor Janashvilli in Acco on May 12, 2021, during Operation Guardian of the Walls. Hiluani admitted to the charges attributed to him in the amended indictment: that he had caused a frenzy by calling out to an incited mob that Janashvilli had run over one of the participants in the attack. He was convicted of rioting.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Janashvilli, stated: “Today one of the participants in the attack on Mor Janashvilli was convicted. His part was shouting lies to the mob that attempted to brutally murder Mor, as if the terrorist who was run over by Mor was dead. Everyone who participated in the cruel attack and took part in the attempted murder is fully responsible and should be penalized to the full extent of the law.
“There is no doubt that the acts of the convicted participant incited and provoked the rioting mob, who continued with their murderous acts. Today, Mor is still undergoing a lengthy rehabilitation process and suffers from many disabilities. We will be present at the penalty hearing in one week’s time, and we will demand the maximum legal penalty for the convicted participant.”
Next week, a penalty hearing will be held for Hiluani, at which Janashvilli and Bleicher are expected to be present. Also, next week Mor Janashvilli and his brother will testify in legal proceedings against two other defendants in the case.
During the Arab rioting at the time of Operation Guardian of the Walls, Janashvilli was attacked by dozens of Arab rioters who pelted his car with large rocks, heavy furniture, and anything else they could get their hands on. Janashvilli lost control of his car, drove it into a wall and was forced to flee. The Arab mob beat him with metal and wooden bars, punched him and kicked him until he collapsed on the ground in a semi-conscious state. He was saved at the last moment, apparently by Arabs who called the emergency services. He was evacuated by ambulance to the hospital, suffering from bruises on his entire body, broken bones, cuts on his face, partial paralysis in his left leg, headaches and dizziness.
At a June 2021 hearing, relatives of the suspects threatened Mor Janashvilli. They yelled at him that he was a terrorist and that he had run over somebody. His brother added: “I was with him [in the courthouse]. As soon as everything heated up one of the terrorists hissed at me and said, in precisely these words, ‘I’m from Acco. I’ll see to it that we murder you.’ One could say, in precise words, a murder threat. We hope that they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Janashvilli, attempted to record a video clip in which he responded to the threats, but was disturbed by one of the threat-makers. Bleicher: “The [terrorists’] families came to the courthouse and felt like they owned the place. They started to shout at the victims. One of the terrorists’ families shouted ‘You’re a terrorist. You ran over a 12-year-old girl. We will stop you. We’ll take care of you.’”
At this stage, and as Bleicher was speaking, one of the relatives of the rioters interrupted the video and shouted at Janashvilli, “You’re a terrorist,” and gestured at him with his middle finger.