Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Lior’s destroyed car; Photo credit: Beit Orot
Sunday, April 30, 2023, 16:10 On Sunday, April 30, the Jerusalem District Court convicted Mohamed Abu Ghanam, the terrorist who set Rabbi Dov Lior’s car on fire in the Beit Orot neighborhood of Jerusalem in July 2022. Judge Miriam Lomp convicted Abu Ghanam of arson, manufacturing weapons, racially motivated malicious vehicular vandalism, and other racially motivated crimes.
After the conviction, Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Rabbi Lior as a victim of terror, stated, “We welcome the court’s decision. Islamic terrorists are making every effort to injure Jews and damage Jewish property. Although many claim to be emotionally disturbed, they always target only Jews. Abu Ghanam’s acts could have easily caused loss of life. We expect the court to hand down a stiff penalty that will deter terrorists.”
Abu Ghanam was convicted of a series of arson attacks, multiple counts of attempted arson, and other crimes. The indictment, summarized below, describes the destruction of Rabbi Lior’s car:
On the night between Thursday (July 21, 2022) and Friday, Abu Ghanam attempted, but failed to set fire to a white Hyundai car in the Beit Orot parking lot. Early the following morning, Abu Ghanam returned to the parking lot, approached a Mazda belonging to Rabbi Lior, poured inflammable thinner on the front of the car and on its floor, and set it on fire, then immediately left the parking lot. The car went up in flames and the front part was completely torched. Smoke from the fire also penetrated the adjacent residential building. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze. The terrorist carried out the attacks on properties owned by or associated with Jews, thus proving that his acts of violence were racially motivated.