Police treating attack on Yehuda Glick as nationalistic crime
Glick was beaten as he visited the east Jerusalem house of mourning for Iyad Halak, an autistic Palestinian man who was mistakenly shot by Border Police in May.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBYehuda Glick in Tel Aviv, on December 16, 2019.(photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
The police are treating the June 4 attack on former Likud MK Yehudah Glick when he visited the east Jerusalem house of mourning for Iyad Halak as a nationalistic crime.Legal aid organization Honenu provided The Jerusalem Post on Monday with an Israel Police document that indicated the police believe they have reasonable grounds to treat the incident as battery with aggravating circumstances of being tied to hostility to the State of Israel.The recognition for Glick as being a victim of a nationalistic crime can grant him financial and health compensation from the state.In addition, one of the attackers involved has already cut a plea deal to serve five months in prison and pay NIS 4,000 in compensation to Glick, Honenu said.“We will act to ensure that justice is done to those who caused harm,” said attorney Hayim Bleicher, who works for Honenu and is assisting Glick.Glick said: “The most important thing is the obligation of the Israeli police to create effective deterrence so that a Jew will not be fearful of walking down the street anywhere in Israel and even more so in Jerusalem.”Glick was severely beaten in early June when he visited the bereaved family of Halak, an unarmed autistic Palestinian man who was mistakenly shot and killed by a Border Police officer in late May.Multiple Border Police officers are under criminal investigation for killing Halak.Glick, who is known for right-wing views and some controversial activism related to the Temple Mount, was beaten by various people in the house of mourning, including reportedly being thrown down the stairs.In 2014, Glick survived an assassination attempt by another east Jerusalem man. The suspect was killed by police while resisting arrest.Glick has had run-ins with police in connection with his activism.
