Jerusalem Arabs ordered to pay $73,000 to Jewish assault victims

The ruling stems from a 2021 attack, which began with a mob hurling rocks at Jewish men traveling to the Western Wal.

By World Israel News Staff

Two Arab men who were part of a mob that brutally attacked three Jewish men in Jerusalem in an unprovoked assault have been ordered by a court to pay tens of thousands of shekels in compensation to their victims.

The ruling stems from an incident in May 2021, when three Jewish men were traveling by car toward the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. The men were wearing clothing that visibly identified them as Jewish.

As the vehicle became stuck in a traffic jam, a mob of local Arab residents began hurling stones at the car. The attack shattered the vehicle’s windows and caused serious injuries to the driver, who was struck in the head by one of the rocks.

The driver subsequently lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into a wall.

The assault did not end after the crash. Members of the mob surrounded the vehicle, sprayed the occupants with pepper spray and attempted to forcibly pull the Jewish men from the car.

After one of the vehicle’s doors was forced open, members of the mob began physically assaulting the men inside.

A police officer eventually arrived at the scene and fired shots into the air, dispersing the crowd and bringing the immediate attack to an end.

The two men who were later named as defendants in the civil lawsuit had already been convicted of criminal charges related to the assault and had served prison sentences.

The victims subsequently pursued the two men in civil court, seeking compensation for the physical and emotional suffering caused by the attack.

In his ruling, Judge Eliad Weinshall emphasized that the men had been specifically targeted because they were visibly Jewish, rather than as a result of any prior dispute or personal relationship.

“The nationalistic aspect underlying the assault must…be taken into account. The plaintiffs were targeted solely because of their Jewish-religious appearance, without any prior relationship between the parties,” Judge Eliad Weinshall was reproted as stating in his ruling by the Jerusalem Post. “These factors directly affect the intensity of the terror and helplessness inherent in the incident.”

The court ultimately ordered the two defendants to pay approximately 220,000 shekels, or about $73,100, to the victims. The award includes attorneys’ fees.