The Jerusalem District Court tried terrorists who torched the entrance to a Jewish residential complex in Jerusalem's Old City, causing injury to one person. Some of the arsonists were sent to prison.
The terrorists were convicted of two counts of arson for setting fire to the door in the Jewish neighborhood which has been suffering from constant harassment by local Arabs. As a result of the incident in which the door was damaged and a Jewish resident burned, eight suspects were arrested, including three adults and five minors. Some of the defendants were convicted in both counts of arson.
Attorney Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu legal aid organization is accompanying and representing the Jewish victim, noting that he intends to sue the defendants in a civil proceeding.
Judge Avraham Rubin sentenced the three adults to two months in prison, with the first defendant receiving twenty months imprisonment and a six-month suspended sentence. The second defendant was sentenced to sixteen months in prison and a six month suspended sentence. The third defendant was sentenced to eleven months imprisonment and a six month suspended sentence. The defendants will also have to give minimal compensation to the Jew who was injured.
The minors were also sentenced to various punishments.
Attorney Bleicher said: "Unfortunately, because of the large volume of harassment and attacks on Israelis by Arabs, some of us have become accustomed to this. We at Honeinu are working to represent the many victims, so that their voices do not fade away and so their suffering will be reflected in criminal verdicts and civil suits for compensation against the attackers. There's no doubt this activity increases enforcement, brings the rioters to justice, enhances deterrence, and reinforces the security of the victims and other law-abiding citizens. In this case, too, after the defendants are convicted, we will continue to act in the civil courts to obtain appropriate compensation for the victims."