Zemora case continues

Tuesday, May 21, 2019, 14:22 On Monday, May 20, a deliberation took place at the Military Court of Appeals on the case of the terrorist who stabbed and seriously injured Nirit Zemora, an Etzion Bloc resident, in a terror attack at the Etzion Bloc Intersection parking lot on October 28, 2015. The terrorist was exonerated of attempted murder and convicted only of aggravated assault. The Military Advocate General filed an appeal on the ruling, and the Military Court of Appeals will hand down an decision on the appeal soon.
During the deliberation on the appeal the two sides were asked by the judges where, if the appeal by the Military Advocate General is accepted, they would prefer to have the penalty adjudicated, at an appellate court or at the court where the original ruling had been made. Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Zemora, stated that, “The feeling in the courtroom, which is reflected also in the deliberation minutes, was that there is no logical claim for not convicting the terrorist of attempted murder. … We hope that this will be expressed in the decision.”
In court, Nirit Zemora turned to the judges and described the moments of the attack and how she and her family have been coping with the aftermath: “I felt a strong blow to my back. To this day I remember the sound of that unusual blow. I felt my left leg becoming weak and I collapsed on the spot. From eye witnesses I heard that the murderer called out ‘Allah hu akbar’ and ran with a knife raised. Since then my family and I have been coping with all of the ramifications of the attack and the injury.”
Zemora added, “I say to you, attacking a woman from behind is an act of cowardice. The injury was close to my heart. This was an act of contempt towards every family in Israel. The People of Israel is eternal; one can harm only individuals. I ask the court to impose the maximum penalty in situations such as this. I wonder who is willing to defend this murderer. I am certain that the People of Israel and all humankind will prevail.”
After the deliberation Zemora described her impressions: “This time the general feeling seems to me to be positive. I hope very much that I am not mistaken, because last time I was very disappointed. I left with very painful feelings. I hope that this time the truth will come to light. At this opportunity I would like to thank the Honenu organization, in particular Chayim [Bleicher], and the Military Advocate General, who have done excellent work.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher stated that, “The deliberation was very important. It was obvious beyond any doubt that the terrorist should have been charged with attempted murder. That was the impression received by everyone present in the courtroom and I hope that it will be expressed in the decision. This terrorist must be tried and I hope that this will be a call-out to the other cases being tried today at the military courts: A terrorist who comes to kill a Jew definitely has the aim of destroying the Jews, injuring as many as possible. We hope that the outcome will be that the terrorist is imprisoned for many years and that this will also help deter other terrorists.”