Please click here for a list of posts relating to the mid-May Arab rioting throughout Israel and here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu has represented victims of rock or Molotov cocktail attacks.
Mor Janashvilli (L) and Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher (R); Photo credit: Honenu
Thursday, July 13, 2023, 10:38 On Thursday, July 13, the Haifa Magistrates Court convicted Kusai Abbas of attempted murder in an act of terror for his part in the brutal attack on Mor Janashvilli in Acco at the time of Operation Guardian of the Walls. Abbas was also convicted of rock-throwing, racially motivated vehicular vandalism, and rioting. The panel of judges wrote in their verdict that if it were not for the intervention of a third party who assisted the seriously injured Janashvilli in escaping, the attack would have ended in his murder. Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher represented Janashvilli.
After the conviction, Attorney Bleicher stated, “The attempted murder conviction of this terrorist must influence the convictions of the rest of the terrorists who took part in the brutal attack on Mor. This was an extremely serious attack. The court adopted the position of the State Attorney’s Office and handed down the most severe verdict possible by law. We believe that this terrorist’s sentence will have a positive influence on the prosecution of other perpetrators of the attack who have been charged up until now only with aggravated assault in an act of terror. The impressive stance Mor took facing the terrorists in court shows very well who the despicable terrorists are and why they must be severely punished to the full extent of the law.
“Stringent penalization of terrorists is essential for the protection of Israeli citizens. Repetition of the riots and attacks that occurred during Operation Guardian of the Walls must be deterred. Every terrorist attempting to attack a Jew should know that the security forces will apprehend him, and the courts will penalize him to the full extent of the law. This is the message coming out of the court today. We thank the State Attorney’s Office, in particular Northern District Attorney Ohad Cohen, for their determined efforts that yielded these results.”
At the time of Operation Guardian of the Walls, May 2021, Janashvilli was attacked in Acco 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 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. Since the attack, Janshvilli has waged an uncompromising legal battle demanding that all of his attackers stand trial.