Arab terrorists who threw rocks at three Israeli women will pay compensation to their victims for the damage they caused.
The direct compensation of victims is unprecedented in cases of rock-throwing attacks, which are commonplace across Judea and Samaria and in Jerusalem.
The rock-throwing ambush took place two years ago near the Arab town of Sinjil in the Binyamin region. The terrorists took part in riots that occurred in response to the hunger strike of terrorists imprisoned in Israeli jails. The terrorists took massive rocks and threw them at Israeli vehicles driving on route 60, a major road that passes near the Arab town.
The three terrorists were convicted in a plea bargain of throwing rocks at a moving vehicle, were sentenced to prison terms and were ordered to monetary compensation to the victims.
Tamar Nizri and her daughters, who were hit by the rocks, described the moments of horror.
“We can’t forget that Friday afternoon, we were so excited to drive to the beach, the children wore bathing suits and had snacks, when suddenly the windshield was smashed, and Arab terrorists surrounded the car throwing rocks at us,” she recounted.
“I don’t know how I carried on driving and got out of the ambush… My nine-year-old was hurt from the glass and is still terrified every time we take a drive, asking if we will drive near Sinjil,” she added.
Honenu, an Israeli legal aid organization, represented the victims against the terrorists and helped them obtain the compensation. Chaim Bleicher, the Nizri family’s attorney, explained the importance of monetary compensation as a tool for deterring further violence and attacks.
“It is extremely important that victims be involved in the indictment of a terrorist. Their involvement brings a harsher outcome for the terrorists… The terrorists’ paying out of their pocket to their victims constitutes a strong message. We see the effect the punishment has in deterring potential terror, though we are still at the beginning of this process,” he said.