Arab mob attacks two Jews in e. J'lem

Victims in their 20s escape without serious injury after Arab-Israeli assailants attack vehicle; police investigating the incident.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
east Jerusalem 370 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
east Jerusalem 370
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Two Jewish men were assaulted Wednesday in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Orot, narrowly escaping with their lives, when a mob of Arab Israelis shattered their vehicle’s windows with rocks, surrounded the car and attempted to pummel them.
According to Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, the attack took place in the morning, while the men, both in their 20s and residents of the neighborhood, were driving to work.
“A group of Arab Israelis began throwing rocks at their car, shattered all the windows and then surrounded it, threatening both [victims] with grievous harm,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “The victims stopped the car to notify police, then fled for safety.”
While Rosenfeld said neither man was seriously injured in the attack, both refusing medical treatment, one of the victims sustained a minor hand injury. In a subsequent Facebook posting, one of the victims, whose identity will not be published, wrote of the terror he felt during the assault and criticized the police response.
“When was the last time your legs trembled in fear?,” the posting began. “When did you last stay awake all night, afraid someone would burn your house down? When was the last time you saw dozens of people who wanted to murder you? When was the last time you saw a police officer running away in fear, leaving you alone? When were you last almost lynched?” Rosenfeld denied the claim that any police ran from the scene, insisting officers from the Jerusalem Police and Border Police, as well as private security guards, arrived to aid the men within 10 minutes of being called.
Wednesday’s violence comes less than two days after unknown assailants, in an alleged “price-tag” attack, slashed the tires of 28 vehicles in the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and spray painted the words “Arabs go home” on walls in the village .
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres promptly condemned the incident as a contradiction of Jewish values.
Rosenfeld said he did not believe Wednesday’s attack was retaliatory, noting that police are frequently called into Beit Orot and surrounding areas following such incidents.
“Israel Police responds to these types of incidents relatively often around the area of the Mount of Olives,” he said. “Police and Border Police officers have stepped-up patrols in that area to prevent future attacks.”
Rosenfeld said police are actively investigating the attack and expect to make arrests shortly.