(Illustration) Arab rioters
(Illustration) Arab riotersFlash 90

Rock attacks by Arabs against Jews are no longer restricted to Judea and Samaria. Last Thursday, dozens of yeshiva students in the lower Galilee were attacked by stone-throwing Arabs as they attempted to visit the tomb of a Jewish sage near the village of Ilabun.

The students had gone to visit the tomb of Rabbi Matya Ben Harash, a Talmudic sage. According to Shaul Pu'a, a student at the yeshiva, some 50 students proceeded from a bus that had brought them to the site to the tomb itself. A crowd of Arab youths gathered as they walked.

The attack began when they returned from the tomb to the bus. According to Pu'a, some of the students had gotten back on the bus when the rain of rocks began. Pu'a said that he believed the Arabs waited until that exact moment to carry out the attack, because they believed it was unlikely that anyone would get off the bus.

The attack was definitely not spontaneous, Pu'a said; the Arab attackers came dressed in masks, and began throwing rocks at the group and the bus. Students already on the bus hid under seats in order to avoid getting hit, and those outside tried to get on the bus as they rocks were hurled in their direction.

Eventually all the students were able to get on the bus, and the driver sped away – but noticed in his rear view window that a car was following at top speed. The driver realized that the plan was for the attackers to throw something at the bus as it was speeding away, in order to cause serious damage.

The driver and several students filed complaints with police over the incident.