Israeli Court to Force Rock-Throwing Terrorists to Pay for Damages

In an increased effort to combat Palestinian rock terror in the capital, legal experts are introducing new laws, including payment for property damage by the assailants in addition to jail time.

Israel’s legal system has been stepping up its battle against terror, specifically rock terror in Jerusalem, introducing new laws to make it easier to prosecute and punish the assailants.

The latest step in this battle, Israel’s Ynet reported Tuesday, is that the State Attorney’s civil unit is expected to present two unprecedented damage claims against two Arabs who hurled rocks at the Jerusalem light rail and smashed its windows.

The state will reportedly demand that the court order an immediate payment of NIS 40,000 for each window broken, which is the amount that property tax pays Citypass, the company that  runs the light rail, as compensation.

This move is part of a broader initiative to file a series of civil suits, which would require terrorists throwing rocks, firebombs and fireworks to pay for the damage that they cause, in addition to civil lawsuits, Ynet reported.

Pressure to move ahead with the initiative came from Jerusalem Police, the news site reported. Police commanders discussing methods to counter rock-throwing argued that the deterrence created by rendering financial loss, in addition to criminal charges, is crucial.

The financial claims will be filed only against rock-throwers over the age of 18, which is a setback, as many of the perpetrators are minors.

The first two claims will be filed against stone-throwers who were already convicted, but, in the future, may be issued simultaneously with the criminal proceedings.

The light rail, which serves thousands of Jerusalem’s residents on a daily basis, is a main target of Palestinian terror.

“We must remember that at the end of the day, the people that suffer from this situation are the residents who use this train to get to the center of town, and now they cannot,” said a CityPass spokesman last September after the rail was damaged by Arab rioting. “We need to understand that the light rail is a microcosm of Jerusalem. The train goes through Arab and Jewish neighborhoods and they all use it. That’s the beauty of Jerusalem, and we need to be careful with this delicate reality.”

By: United with Israel Staff

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