Palestinian-Israeli gets 25 years for Tel Aviv bus bomb
Terrorist behind Pillar of Defense suicide bombing that wounded scores in Tel Aviv gets long prison term
A Tel Aviv court on Monday handed a Palestinian-Israeli a 25-year prison term over the 2012 bombing
of a bus during Operation Pillar of Defense
.
Mohammed Mafarja, 19, was sentenced three months after being convicted on charges of aiding the enemy during war, attempted murder, causing an explosion and wounding 24 people.
Bus following explosion (Photo: Gal Sabag)
A resident of the Arab town of Taybe in central Israel, Mafarja boarded the Tel Aviv bus on November 21, 2012, and placed a bomb inside before getting off, according to the Tel Aviv District Court.
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Shortly afterwards it was triggered remotely by a cellphone used by his accomplice Ahmed Moussa, a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank.
The two had decided "to carry out an attack to end the war in Gaza," which began when Israel killed Hamas military commander Ahmed Jaabari on November 14, 2012, the court said in Monday's sentencing.
Blood on the scene (Photo: Yoel Feldman)
The Gaza conflict ended several hours after the explosion with an Egyptian-brokered truce, in a development unrelated to the attack.
The explosion left two people in moderate-to-serious condition, while another eight people were lightly wounded and 14 more suffered from shock. The blast damaged the bus and vehicles nearby.
The court also mentioned Islamic Jihad terrorist Mohammed Assi who planned the attack. Assi was shot dead during an Israeli attempt to arrest him near the West Bank city of Ramallah in October 2013.
Moussa's trial, which is being heard in a military court, is ongoing.
In November 2012, Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense in wake of on-going rocket fire from Gaza onto Israeli communities. Around 170 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed during the eight day conflict.
