Trial of MK Ben-Ari's Arab Attacker to Begin Sunday

ARUTZ 7

Kislev 15, 5772, 11/12/11

Trial of MK Ben-Ari's Arab Attacker to Begin Sunday

Elad Benari

The trial of an Arab woman who attacked MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) in February of 2010 will begin on Sunday in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court.

The incident occurred when Ben-Ari spent Shabbat in the Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood of Jerusalem. The Arab woman began pouring water on the head of Ben-Ari and his children. The MK began chasing after the woman, who ran away.

Ben-Ari had been threatened by Arabs before Shabbat, and as a result, police stationed several officers outside the home where he and his family were staying. On Saturday night, police left the scene, and Ben-Ari was attacked as he was packing his family into their car. Police were called in and began searching for the culprit, who ran away to her home.

A similar incident took place in 1996 when IDF reservist Yisrael Lederman threw hot tea at then MK Yael Dayan (Labor) in Hevron.

 However, unlike in the case of Lederman who was detained by police after the incident, the Arab woman was never arrested and was simply interrogated before an indictment was filed against her. Ben-Ari is expected to take the stand and testify against her when the trial begins on Sunday.

 Ben-Ari said on Saturday night, “Those who attack right-wing Knesset members receive special treatment. Miraculously the woman was never arrested, but had she been suspected of committing a price tag crime, no doubt the police and the prosecution would have been working efficiently to arrest her. When it comes to an Arab assailant who is supported by radical leftist organizations, the justice system works very slowly.”

“I hope her sentence resembles that of Yisrael Lederman who had been sentenced to three years in prison,” Ben-Ari added.