Indictments were filed against five youths in the Jerusalem Youth Magistrate Court on Monday, 2 Kislev, youths who attended the so-called ‘hate chasunah’. A short time later, the court dismissed the very same indictments.

The Jerusalem Youth Magistrate’s Court recently canceled the indictment of the hate chasenah. The indictment attributes five minors to offenses of incitement to violence or terrorism: In a reasoned decision, which is not permitted to be published because the defendants are minors, Justice Shimon Leibo explained in his 20-page ruling why he is canceling the indictments due to serious flaws in the way they were filed.

Attorney Moriah Sasson, who represents one of the defendants, said in response to the cancellation of the indictment: “It turns out that the filing of the indictment in this case was flawed, when the prosecution dealt mainly with considerations of public relations, media image and spokesmanship instead of relevant considerations. We hope that the State Prosecutor’s Office will reconsider the matter and choose to terminate the case and not file an indictment that never should have been submitted in the first place.”

The hate chasenah followed the Duma arson attack in which an Arab infant was burned to death as was his mother and brother, both dying of their wounds in hospital later on. It was alleged the attack was carried out by Jews in a so-called “price tag attack”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)