A terrorist who hurled a firebomb at the home of a Jewish family in Jerusalem around a year ago was ordered by the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday to pay NIS 245,000 in compensatory damages. The Molotov cocktail set the house on fire when it struck the building.
The terrorist and his friends hurled a large number of Molotov cocktails at a residential complex of Jewish families in the Abu Tor neighborhood of Jerusalem.
After his arrest and conviction on criminal charges, the terrorist was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay compensatory damages of NIS 6,000, according to HaKol HaYehudi.
Attorney Ofir Steiner from the Honenu organization, who represented the Jewish victims, followed up by filing a civil lawsuit in the Jerusalem District Court.
That lawsuit detailed the damage caused to the victims and the pain and suffering they experienced — and are still experiencing — as a result of the attack.
The plaintiffs asked the court to award punitive damages in light of the racist-nationalist motive that drove the terrorists to hurl the homemade bombs at the building.
One of the bottles hit an apartment window and ignited the curtain, which the homeowner extinguished with a blanket.
Four more Molotov cocktails shattered in the courtyard of the complex, near the entrance to the building. The apartment owner used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames despite the danger of being hit by additional bottles — and all while her grandchildren were sleeping in the apartment.
Despite the difficulty in collecting payment, a civil lawsuit against terrorists who have carried out attacks is used as another tool to fight terrorism, especially in cases where the punishment from the criminal prosecution is minimal.
“The civil procedure is an important supplementary tool in hostilities and terrorist incidents,” said Attorney Steiner.
“Payment for damage caused to the victims of the crime adds to the punishment of the terrorists in the criminal procedure. This serves to strengthen deterrence and the sense of justice,” the attorney noted.
“Throwing Molotov cocktails endangers lives and the terrorists must be fully punished.”
