Please click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu provided legal counsel to victims of antisemitic attacks in Jerusalem and here for a list of posts relating to the May 2021 Arab rioting throughout Israel.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022, 14:57 The Jerusalem District Court convicted the last two terrorists in the case of an engaged couple (now married), Avia and Shahar Anteman, attacked near Beit Orot during the May 2021 Arab rioting. The terrorists, both of whom are adults, admitted to the charges of aggravated assault in an act of terror stated in the amended indictment. A penalty hearing in the case will be held at a later date. In total, five terrorists have been convicted in the case. The only minor in the case is awaiting a penalty hearing, and two additional adults are awaiting their sentencing.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the couple, described the investigation up to the conviction: “The conviction of these two terrorists follows the conviction of the other three terrorists in the case and concludes a long saga. Initially, the brutal attack was not investigated at all due to the great number of attacks occurring at the time.
“Following pressure from the victims and urgent requests from Honenu to the authorities and the media, an investigation of the incident was started. The Special Task Department of the Jerusalem Police carried out the investigation, during which terrorist cells were apprehended, some of which were connected to many additional attacks. Now we expect the courts not to weaken the effectiveness of the security forces in the war on terror and to sentence the terrorists to many years’ imprisonment that will also deter potential terrorists.”
The Anteman couple testified at a penalty hearing on May 10. Avia focused on the difficulties that the couple has endured since the attack: “As long as we do not know whether or not the defendants [the attackers] have been brought to justice, it is difficult for us to walk around Jerusalem. We will not relax until they are penalized. We expect the court to hand down a stiff penalty to those guilty of injuring me.”
Shahar described how their joyous day turned into trauma: “This was our engagement, an event for which we waited and about which we had dreamed our entire lives. This event, instead of being forever remembered as the happiest event of our lives, will be remembered as a traumatic event.” She also explained how they carry the effects with them to this day: “Things which we hadn’t experienced before the incident, we experience now, fear and a threatening feeling. Therefore our demand is that the guilty parties in this case receive the maximum penalties. Some of the attackers have not yet been detained. We also demand that they and others like them be deterred [from attacking again], that they understand that it’s not worth it. We would appreciate it if the court could consider what we experienced and penalize them to the full extent of the law.”