The prosecution on Wednesday filed an indictment with the Jerusalem District Court against 18-year-old Yehonatan Hever from Hadera, charging him with a series of severe, racially motivated violent offenses stemming from what prosecutors described as an organized revenge attack on the Palestinian village of Jaba near Jerusalem in November.
According to the indictment, filed by Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office prosecutor Ariel Iluz, the violence erupted hours after security forces evacuated the unauthorized outpost of Tzur Misgabi in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc on November 17, 2025.
Hever, who has been under house arrest since January 20, is accused of participating first in efforts to physically obstruct the evacuation, and later in a coordinated operation to “take revenge” on the nearby village.
The indictment paints a picture of advance planning rather than spontaneous unrest.
After the outpost was cleared, some of those present were heard shouting “revenge,” alongside statements that there would be “chaos” and an “event” following the evacuation. Hever and others then traveled to the settlement of Bat Ayin, where dozens allegedly gathered in or near a synagogue.
There, according to the charges, an unidentified individual delivered a briefing, instructing participants to travel to Jaba to retaliate for the evacuation and “teach them a lesson.”
Those present were allegedly divided into two operational groups: drivers who would transport participants to the village in a convoy and others who would disembark “in an operational manner,” carry out the acts, and return on foot. Participants were instructed to move as a single unit and to switch off their mobile phones.
What happened in Jaba
The indictment further states that participants, including Hever, donned face coverings and understood that the purpose of the operation was to harm Palestinians and damage property, including through arson and stone-throwing.
At approximately 5:44 p.m., some 20 vehicles allegedly set out in a convoy toward the village. Upon arrival at a point near Jaba, dozens of masked individuals exited the vehicles and ran toward the village, some armed with stones and clubs.
What followed, prosecutors allege, was a violent rampage.
Stones were hurled at homes, including the residence of one villager who barricaded himself and his family indoors as his car was set ablaze and parts of his home were burned. Another home’s windows were smashed, and a Molotov cocktail was thrown while family members were inside.
In one incident, stones were thrown at a man standing near his home, causing bruising to his back. In another, stones were thrown at close range at a vehicle carrying a family, including two young children aged one and four. One of the girls was struck in the face, and several windows were shattered.
Multiple vehicles were set on fire, windows were broken, a storage shed containing work tools was torched, and attempts were allegedly made to ignite a gas balloon adjacent to a home. Additionally, cameras installed in the village were damaged, and clothing hanging on a line was set alight.
Graffiti sprayed throughout the village included the phrases “Death to Arabs,” “A Jew does not expel a Jew,” and “Revenge.”
Hever is accused of actively participating in the riot. The indictment alleges that he threw stones at homes and gates and stood near individuals who poured flammable liquid on property and vehicles before setting them ablaze, fully aware of the violent and racist nature of the acts.
He is charged with rioting resulting in damage motivated by racism, attempted and completed malicious damage motivated by racism, aggravated assault under racist circumstances, and multiple counts of arson. Prosecutors have notified the court that, if convicted, they may seek an actual custodial sentence.
The case unfolds against a broader backdrop of heightened tensions in the West Bank since the outbreak of war following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in the South.
Media and watchdog groups have documented a rise in so-called “price tag” attacks and retaliatory violence in the wake of demolitions or evacuations of unauthorized outposts.
Rights groups and security officials have repeatedly warned that such incidents risk further destabilizing an already volatile security landscape.