A Jewish motorist barely escaped with his life Monday afternoon after an Arab mob attacked his vehicle as he drove through a Jerusalem neighborhood.
The motorist, an unidentified 42-year-old man, was traveling through Wadi Al-Joz when he was suddenly attacked by dozens of Arabs.
The vehicle was pelted with dozens of rocks as the driver desperately continued to drive through the attack. One of the attackers also hurled a concrete block at the car, smashing the windshield and wounding the driver.
After he reached a safe location, the wounded motorist was evacuated to Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, where he received treatment for a wide range of injuries.
Nor was this the first such incident this week, noted Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, who said police are stepping up patrols to contend with the violence and have opened investigations into both attacks.
Arabs hurled a firebomb at Israeli homes in the Maale Zeitim (Ras al-Amud) neighborhood yesterday (Sunday). No one was physically injured.
Asked if there was any way for motorists to prevent being targeted in such attacks, Rosenfeld told Arutz Sheva, “It is our responsibility – that of the Israel Police, the Border Police and other security personnel – to protect motorists and patrol the roads. That's our job.”
He added that motorists who find themselves under attack should immediately drive away from the area. If they are unable to do so, “or even if they can, and as soon as they are able to manage it, they should dial “100” and call police immediately,” Rosenfeld reminded, “because police response time is quick. In general patrols are located very close by,” usually less than a few hundred meters away.
“It is impossible to prevent every incident,” the spokesman said, “but we are doing everything we can.”
Rosenfeld also recommended that drivers ask security personnel visible at the entrance to “ sensitive neighborhoods” or other questionable areas whether it is safe to enter.
"That, too, is part of our responsibility,” he said, “letting people know when it is safe to go through and when it might not be. It's our job to protect Israel's citizens.”