Last Thursday, a suspected ramming attack occurred in western Binyamin, near the community of Neve Tzuf. According to reports, a Palestinian Arab vehicle veered off course and collided with an ATV carrying two teenagers from the community. As a result of the collision, both were injured and evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital.
In response to the incident, Attorney Haim Bleicher from the Civil Division at the Honenu organization sent an urgent letter to the Central Command General and the commander of the Judea and Samaria District in the police, demanding the immediate arrest of the suspects and the opening of a security investigation.
In his letter to the Central Command General, Bleicher argued that despite the victims' testimony at the scene indicating an intentional attack, the suspects were evacuated by a Red Crescent ambulance after only a brief questioning and were then released to go on their way.
It was further noted that, to date, no statement has been taken from the victims at the hospital, despite the severity of the incident - a fact that, Bleicher says, raises serious concerns of a major failure in handling the case.
Details from the scene indicate that the offending vehicle crossed into the opposite lane and struck the ATV with significant force, even though road conditions and visibility were normal. One of the victims sustained moderate injuries, including fractures in his hand, while the girl accompanying him was seriously injured, suffering fractures throughout her body.
According to the testimony, even before the impact, the girl identified the vehicle's deviation and shouted that it was an attack. In his letter, Attorney Bleicher rejected the explanations provided so far by law enforcement authorities, including claims that the driver fell asleep at the wheel or that it was an accident caused by visibility issues. He stated that the findings at the scene and the road conditions are inconsistent with these claims and reinforce the suspicion that this was an intentional nationalist-motivated ramming attack.
“The circumstances of the incident - a sharp deviation into the opposite lane toward the shoulder under perfect road conditions - point to an attempted murder on nationalist grounds," the letter reads.
In concluding his letter, the attorney demands the immediate issuance of arrest orders for the suspects and the transfer of the investigation to the Central Unit or other relevant security authorities.
“This is an extremely serious attack, even if carried out spontaneously. Immediate action must be taken against the terrorists both to prevent them from committing further attacks and attempted murders, and to create deterrence against the simmering terrorism among the enemy population. In this case, when the victims on the ground immediately recognized it as an attack, security forces were expected - at that very moment - to neutralize and arrest the terrorists. Regrettably, this did not happen, but better late than allowing the failure to continue. We demand the immediate arrest of the terrorists and the adoption of deterrent measures against the perpetrators and their environment," Bleicher concluded.