The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Sunday indicted a Palestinian teen for allegedly carrying out a racially-motivated assault on a Jewish protester in the contentious East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
According to the indictment, the defendant spotted the victim, who was dressed in traditional Jewish attire, standing at a bus stop during a protest in the Jerusalem flashpoint two weeks ago.
Footage of Palestinian minor assaulting a Jewish protester in Sheikh Jarrah
(Video: Israel Police)
Footage of the incident allegedly shows the 17-year-old lunging at the victim, jumping in the air and kicking him in the upper abdomen. The victim slammed against the station wall and fell to the ground. He suffered abdominal injuries and required medical attention.
The defendant fled the scene and police officers gave chase after him. He refused to comply with police's demands to stop and fled by car to the nearby Wadi al-Joz neighborhood where he was ultimately caught and arrested.
The video of the assault began circulating on social media with some users expressing pride in the defendant's actions.
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Police clash with Jewish and Palestinian protesters in Sheikh Jarrah, February 13, 2022
(Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)
The indictment attributes to the minor offenses of racially-motivated aggravated assault and battery and obstructing a law enforcement officer. The prosecution asked he be remanded to custody to await trial
Jerusalem District Police Superintendent Avi Schreier said they were employing all available means to bring violent criminals to justice.