Almost one year to the day after 10-year-old Tal Zino was struck and killed while riding her bicycle in Kfar Tavor on Yom Kippur, her parents; Yechiel and Chaya have broken their silence, announcing the so-called accident was a “vehicular terror attack”.
 
Yechiel was in shul and Tal was nearby, outside on her bicycle. It was a typical quiet Yom Kippur in Kfar Tavor when the all terrain vehicle driven by two Arabs from nearby al-Shibli came barreling down the street, striking Tal. She was transported to Afula’s Ha’emek Hospital in critical condition and died a short time later of her massive injuries.
 
The Zinos explain they remained silent throughout the year, afraid to upset the delicate balance in the area, which is home to Jews and Bedouins in the nearby villages. As they begin preparations for Tal’s first yahrzeit, they explain they are unable to maintain their silence and they must call it what it was, a “vehicular terror attack”.
 
The driver, 20-year-old Assad Shibli tried fleeing the scene after hitting Tal, but he was overpowered by the angered eyewitnesses. The passenger, Mohammad Shibli did indeed flee the scene but turned himself in a number of days following the incident. The two were eventually tried on charges of manslaughter, with police explaining they lacked evidence to seek a conviction for murder.
 
Chaya explains “they knew it was Yom Kippur, which had already started. Everyone was wearing white. They came to provoke the Jews.” She went on to explain that they all attend an integrated school so just as the Jews are aware when Ramadan begins, the Arabs are aware of Yom Kippur.
 
The Nazareth District Court is expected to announce the verdict in the case in the coming months. Attorneys for Mohammad explain if their client is found guilty of the same charges as the driver of the vehicle, it will set a dangerous precedent in the law.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)