Ronen.Can barely talk
Rail inspector: Arabs attacked me, tried to snatch my weapon
Family says Arab youths arrived at 22-year old guard's post Thursday night, demanded his weapon; upon discovering he had none they beat him, causing bone fractures in his face, body. Police have no leads, say motive may be nationalistic
Twenty-year old Ronen, an inspector with the Israel Railways, was attacked on Thursday while manning his post at one of the rail crossings near Atlit. The attackers, a group of young men, beat him and fractured bones in his face and body. Despite the lengthy period of time that has passed, the Tirat HaCarmel police department investigating the case still has no leads on the suspects' identities.
On Thursday at 3 am Ronen was working at a rail crossing located between Atlit and the nearby Navy base. His job is to prevent vehicles from crossing the rails while the trains are running. According to Ronen's mother, Israela, a car carrying a number of teens passed by him and headed west.
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A short while later he noticed the shadows of his attackers coming closer. "When he turned his head he took a blow to the face," Israela said. Ronen, who is almost completely unable to talk due to a broken jawbone, said that a few Arab youths then demanded his weapon. When he told them he did not have a weapon, he was kicked and beaten with sticks. He tried pushing his emergency call button but no help came.
"They beat him with big sticks and hit him in the face," Israela continued. "After they left him he managed to get to the Navy base to call for help." Ronen's father, who had attempted to call him on his cellular phone, went to look for him. "I arrived at the post and saw that it was full of blood," the father said. "I was certain my son had been murdered."
A few minutes later the father received a phone call from soldiers at the base, who informed him that his son was being treated by a medic. Ronen's family members claim that the fact that nothing was stolen from him indicates that the attack had a nationalistic background.
"He had a car there and the keys were in the post, and neither his car nor his wallet, which had NIS 300 in cash and credit cards inside it, were touched," the mother said. She added that when she had arrived at the hospital she barely recognized her son, as his face was bloated from the beating he had taken.
Security company to blame?
Besides the fractured jaw, Ronen suffered from tears in his skin that required stitches, as well as fractures in his arms. His family members expressed tough criticism towards the security company where he is employed, as no one came to Ronen's rescue when he pressed the emergency call button. According to them, even the secretary who attempted to contact him did not send for help.
"The security guards stand out there in totally abandoned places at all hours of the day, completely vulnerable," one family member said. "They have no weapons or other means of self-defense."
CEO of Hashmira Security Technologies, Eric Regev Shoashi, said that the incident was being investigated. "At this point, before we have figured out exactly what occurred and how the systems functioned, we cannot yet give a detailed response. However the inquiry that is currently being carried out is intended to produce conclusions that will prevent similar incidents in the future," he said.
Tirat HaCarmel police department responded by stating that the attack was under investigation by intelligence officials, but that they had not been able to uncover any information about the suspects' identities. "All motives are being investigated right now, nationalistic and criminal," said Tirat HaCarmel police commander, Chief Superintendent Israel Tuvia.
