Stone throwing (archives)
Photo: Reuters
'Finally, an Arab treated like a human being'
Relatives of 17-year-old youth accused of throwing stones, who were certain he was going to jail, surprised by judge's decision not to convict him
The father of a 17-year-old youth from the northern city of Nazareth, who was acquitted Wednesday after being accused of hurling stones at a police car during Operation Cast Lead,
told Ynet on Wednesday evening, "This was the first time we felt we were being treated like human beings, regardless of whether we are Jews or Arabs."
The Northern District Prosecutor's Office suffered a major blow in light of the judge's ruling, in which he harshly criticized its decision to accuse a 17-year-old boy of committing an offense which carries a punishment of 20 years in prison.
The teen's family welcomed the decision made by Nazareth Juvenile Court Judge Yuval Shadmi, who accepted the defense counsel's claim that the State was discriminating against Arab youth involved in offenses of "ideological violence".
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The family members, who were certain that their son was going to prison for many years, breathed with relief after hearing the judge's ruling.
"I was so stressed before the trial," the father said. "I was afraid my son would go to jail, and the moment we heard the judge's decision, we hugged, the child and I, and I felt he was going to cry. We didn't expect such a ruling. I was surprised and felt like this was the first time a court delivers a decision which is fair and doesn’t discriminate between Jews and Arabs.
"Thank God we had a judge like him, who is not motivated by racism. This may lead the State of Israel to understand that it's time to stop treating the Arab population like enemies, but rather let us feel like we really belong to the State of Israel."
The father said his son was in a difficult state. "I am against stone throwing, both on the part of Jews and Arabs, but when you see children dying on television all day and an army destroying houses, it's not an easy feeling, especially not for a child who has already experienced a trauma (the family has lost two of its sons)."
Attorney Hossam Moad, who represented the youth, said the ruling was an unusual one. "It's a rare decision, especially in the northern district, which unfortunately has been very strict with Arab detainees arrested in demonstrations. Each protest is seen as nationalistically motivated and the detainees are immediately treated like prisoners of war.
"I welcome the judge's decision, which supports all those fighting for human rights in the State of Israel," the lawyer added.
