Attorney Chaim Bleicher from the Honenu legal advocacy organization contacted the process's appeals department, demanding it reopen a case against an Arab teen who threatened Jews who were walking in Jerusalem's old city with a knife a month ago.
The Jews, who felt threatened, called police officers, who detained the 12-year-old boy, but the police closed the case two days later.
In the appeal, Attny. Bleicher describes the incident: "On July 19th, 2023, my client walked with his friend and his friend's two small daughters on Via Dolorosa Street in the old city of Jerusalem. Out of one of the shops came a minor who stood in front of my client while showing my client that he was holding a knife in his hand in a way that made my client feel threatened. My client went around the minor and took a few more steps as he updated his friend that the minor had brandished a knife. At this point, my client and his friend turned around and walked back toward the minor who entered the shop.
When my client asked the suspect why he was holding a knife? The shopkeeper, the minor's uncle, exited the shop and began threatening and yelling at my client and his friend, threatening that he would stab them in the rear end, along with additional threats and expletives that are best not written. My clients walked quickly to a police force that was in the area and called the officers. The officers came to the shop and began to question the suspects about the knife. The suspects denied the incident, but after searching, the officers found the knife on a table under some clothing. The suspects were detained from questioning and were even taken for interrogation, but after two days, my client received a message that the case was closed since the minor is not punishable," the attorney added.
According to him, "In the current situation in Israel, and in the old city specifically, it is not reasonable to belittle such an incident. Unfortunately, we've seen terror attacks by minors. The same happened regarding the minor's uncle, who joined in on the threats against the victims of the crime and helped the minor hide the knife from the officers. The lack of fierce and determined handling of the minor and his uncle will certainly bring to the decline and worsening of the suspects and their friends' actions so much that it endangers the lives of Jews, as we see from time to time. We demand that the legal authorities do what was entrusted to them and bring the adult to justice. Regarding the minor, we demand everything possible to bring him to justice. In case it is not possible to do so, we demand that the minor and his parents be dealt with by the welfare system to prevent future damage by the minor."