Three years ago, shots were fired towards people standing in a playground in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem, located adjacent to Shuafat and Beit Haninah. An angry resident responded to the shooting and was arrested as he was heading towards Arabs with a knife in his hand.

Police feel he was attempting to murder an Arab to avenge the gunfire. He was recently cleared of all charges in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court. He told police “An Arab will come with a gun and fire at me, I will kill him. I prefer they shoot at me and not my family”.

According to the report in NRG, the young man has had a difficult life and does not enjoy a good relationship with his family.

The prosecution agreed to a plea bargain agreement in which he admitted to the charges against him and he will only be charged with illegal possession of a knife, which carries a punishment of six months to a year. Justice Shmuel Herbst rejected this and prevented the conviction of the young man.

The court realized that if he was charged and convicted as the prosecution wished, he would lose his employment and his record would be stained for life. The court decided it was in the public’s best interest to drop the charges in the case and avoid any conviction. The defendant was however sentenced to 250 hours of community service in Yad Sarah, where he will work to repair and maintain medical equipment that is loaned to the public.

Police succeeded in tracking down the Arab from Shuafat who fired and he will face a criminal indictment after shooting off 17 rounds from an automatic weapon. The indictment states he saw the defendant there and fired with the intention of murdering him.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)