Arab rioters
Arab riotersFlash90

Speaking to Arutz Sheva Monday, two American yeshiva students who were viciously attacked last Thursday by a gang of dozens of Arab youths said that they feared for their lives. According to the two, the fact that they were “only” attacked with snowballs was just a lucky circumstance. Without the snow, they said, the Arabs might have used rocks, possibly killing them.

The incident occurred outside the Old City of Jerusalem last Thursday, as most city residents were enjoying the snowstorm that hit Jerusalem. Video of the attack, taken by the Arab attackers themselves, circulated on the Internet. The video was broadcast on Israeli TV stations as well, sparking outrage among tens of thousands of Israelis. The Youtube video has been seen by more than 60,000 people, and thousands of people have

In the footage, a mob of some 50 Arabs are seen throwing snowballs and rocks at two young Hareidim who were walking down the street. The Arabs also tried to grab the hats of the two Hareidim. The two, meanwhile, do nothing but raise their hands to defend themselves. After long minutes, the Arabs eventually leave the Hareidim alone and go their way. Interviewed later, the Hareidim said that they were uninjured, but felt violated and ashamed at being the victims of such an attack.

Speaking in the interview, the two said that they truly feared they would not survive the incident. “We went to pray at the Kotel and on our way back, we were suddenly attacked by dozens of Arabs,” they said. “The Arabs tried to lynch us, they were throwing snowballs and other objects and yelling 'death to the Jews' in Arabic. We felt we were in real danger.”

Police said they were investigating whether the incident was nationalistic in nature, or just a “prank,” a police spokesperson said.