The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court registrar, Shai Tzarfati, has ruled that Omar Rani Yassin, convicted of violently assaulting a Chareidi family in Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina neighborhood several years ago, must pay the victims NIS 440,000 in compensation.

According to the lawsuit filed by Adv. Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu legal aid organization, Yassin attacked the family out of antisemitic motives after noticing their Jewish appearance as they were driving through Beit Hanina.

He forcefully kicked the car’s windshield, causing it to shatter. Flying glass shards injured the father’s neck and hand, causing him to briefly lose consciousness. The mother, who was driving, went into shock but managed to keep control of the car. The couple’s three children, seated in the back, were left traumatized by both their father’s injury and the violent attack they witnessed.

Initially, the case was filed against the Arab without citing his nationalist motive, but Judge Elazar Bialin of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court later clarified in his ruling that Yassin’s actions were driven by antisemitism. He also rejected the lenient plea bargain the prosecution signed with Yassin and imposed a tougher sentence.

Yassin then appealed to the District Court with the support of the State Attorney’s Office, which demanded to reinstate the lenient plea bargain. Adv. Bleicher, representing the family, demanded the appeal be denied. Ultimately, the District Court partially accepted Yassin’s appeal—reducing his prison sentence but increasing the compensation he was ordered to pay.

The family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit demanding NIS 440,000 in damages, including compensation for pain, suffering, and emotional distress for each family member, as well as NIS 150,000 in punitive damages. Since Yassin failed to submit a defense within the required timeframe, Registrar Tzarfati upheld the claim in full, ordering him to pay the full NIS 440,000, in addition to NIS 29,504 in legal fees.

Adv. Bleicher commented, “The attack of a Jewish family’s vehicle is an antisemitic act of terror that seriously undermines Israelis’ sense of security. For reasons that remain unclear, the indictment failed to note the terrorist motive, leading to an absurd verdict. Thankfully, Judge Bialin intervened to ensure some measure of justice. Unfortunately, due to the failures of the prosecution and the State Attorney’s Office, full justice was not achieved in the criminal proceedings. That is why we pursued the civil route—to exact a heavy price and deter others from committing such acts.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)