Police today arrested two 16-year-old Arab youths on suspicion of throwing stones at the car of the Chief Rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.
The pair, residents of the At-Tur neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem, were taken for questioning at the police station. "The Israel Police will continue to work to maintain public order and the security of the residents of the city of Jerusalem and those at its gates and will bring to justice those who choose to endanger the public with their actions," the police statement said.
Rabbi Eliyahu was traveling through the At-Tur neighborhood of Jerusalem on Sunday when a group of Arabs attacked his car, hurled rocks at it as it passed by.
The car sustained light damage, and the driver of the vehicle was lightly injured, suffering cuts to his hand. Rabbi Eliyahu was not injured in the incident.
The attack occurred as Rabbi Eliyahu was on his way to a meeting in the Maaleh HaZeitim neighborhood.
“I was travelling now in Jerusalem, inside Jerusalem, and Arabs threw stones at me, right towards my head,” Rabbi Eliyahu said, pointing to the smashed passenger-side window.
“If the stone had broken through, that could have been dangerous – life-threatening. Luckily for me, I was travelling in my father’s car, and the windows were reinforced.”
“They wanted to murder us,” Rabbi Eliyahu continued. “It is an embarrassment for the city of Jerusalem, for the holy city, that there are people throwing stones trying to murder us here. It is unbelievable.”
Shortly after the attack, a complaint was filed with police regarding the attack.
“We expect the Israel Police to pursue them and put them in prison, like murderers, and that the justice system will deal with them rather than release them. Arabs cannot be allowed to try to kill Jews in the capital of Israel.”