The Jerusalem District Court has approved a settlement under which one of the arsonists who set fire to a Jewish home in Jerusalem's Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood will pay tens of thousands of shekels to the family whose home was burned.
The Yushvaev family, whose home went up in flames in February 2022, will receive 47,000 NIS in compensation from one of the terrorists in question.
The arson was committed using firebombs, which were hurled towards the home, sparking a fire which caused severe damage to the children's bedroom. The family was forced to evacuate their home for an extended period of time, while the damage was fixed.
It was later determined that the arson was motivated by racism.
Both terrorists involved in the arson were arrested and tried in criminal court for a variety of serious crimes, including attempted arson motivated by racism, aggravated harm, carrying weapons, and acts of terror. They were convicted and sentenced to prison: one to 2.5 years in prison, and the other to six months in prison, alongside probation and a requirement to pay damages.
Parallel to the criminal proceedings, the Yushvaev family filed a civil suit, demanding compensation for the physical and mental damages caused by the arson. The suit detailed the enormity of the damage, as well as the ongoing fear and trauma experienced by the family and especially the children, as a result of the arson.
Attorney Haim Bleicher, from the Honenu legal aid organization, represented the family. He commented: "Every terrorist who harms Jews and their property should know that it will cost him dearly. Alongside the punishment of imprisonment, we are working in the civil arena as well in order to ensure that the compensation comes out of the perpetrator's pocket. This is a clear message that terrorists will be made to pay a heavy price for their actions - even if this time, the damage was limited only to property."
Legal proceedings against three additional suspects arrested in the case are still ongoing.