Multiple motorists alerted police to violent disturbances at a Jerusalem intersection shortly before a teenage boy was fatally struck by a bus during an ultra-Orthodox protest, according to information obtained by ynet Thursday.
In addition to the bus driver involved in the incident, two other drivers called the police emergency line to report riots, road blockages and violence by demonstrators. The callers said dozens of protesters surrounded vehicles, blocked another bus and set a trash container on fire.
The bus accident
(Video: Channel 14)
A police officer with the rank of deputy superintendent arrived at the scene and declared the gathering an illegal assembly. Police dispersed the protesters and left the road open to traffic despite continued friction between demonstrators and drivers. Officers later withdrew from the area, even after identifying the intersection as problematic.
The fatal incident occurred afterward. Teenager Yosef Eisenthal was struck and later died after being hit by a bus driven by Fakhri Khatib.
Earlier Thursday, the Jerusalem District Court accepted Khatib’s appeal and ordered his release to house arrest. The court delayed the release following a police request to allow time to seek an appeal to the Supreme Court, but prosecutors declined to pursue further action, clearing the way for Khatib’s release.
The hearing followed an appeal filed by Khatib’s defense attorney after a Jerusalem magistrate’s court extended his detention by nine days. Ahead of the district court hearing, police downgraded the charge from murder under aggravated circumstances to causing death with recklessness.
During the hearing, Judge Tamar Bar-Asher pressed police representatives on the necessity of continued detention. She questioned which of the 39 investigative actions cited by police could still be compromised. A police representative ultimately acknowledged that none were at risk. When police claimed the driver admitted he struck the victim and continued driving, the judge said she had reviewed the interrogation and found no such statement.
In her ruling, the judge noted that Khatib was attacked after being surrounded by dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters near a large demonstration against military conscription. She said the teen who was killed appeared to have been hanging onto the front of the bus, making it difficult at this stage to determine whether the driver was aware of this when he attempted to push through the crowd.
The judge also cited Khatib’s cooperation with investigators and ruled that he did not pose a danger warranting continued detention.
Police said in a statement that they had prepared in advance for the protest on Bar-Ilan Street, designating certain roads and intersections as “life-routine routes” to allow residents to maintain daily activity. Officers who arrived at the intersection dispersed demonstrators before continuing to other assignments, the statement said.