Israelis jailed for just one year over anti-Arab attacks

Two Israelis were sentenced to just one year in prison yesterday for a series of racially-motivated assaults against Palestinian citizens, reported Haaretz.

The pair, named as Koren Elkayam, 22, and Tamir Bartal, 20, from Beersheva, were “convicted in a plea bargain of assaulting Arabs in order to deter them from having romantic relationships with Jewish women”, the paper reported.

The pair were also both “sentenced to eight months of probation and required to pay the victims 8,000 shekels ($2,200) in compensation”.

The judges acknowledged that the sentence was “relatively light”, which they justified on the grounds that “Elkayam and Bartal were 20 and 18 years old respectively at the time”.

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According to Haaretz, Elkayam and Bartal were convicted of involvement in four different cases, between February and April 2017.

“The charges agreed upon in the plea bargain are aiding an attempt at aggravated assault, intentional sabotage of a vehicle, suspicious circumstances regarding intention to break and enter, and vehicle assistance to commit a crime – all of which were racially motivated,” Haaretz reported.

“The original charges were more serious, including allegations of terrorist crimes.”

In November, “the man considered head of the organized group, Raz Amitzur, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for stabbing and beating up victims. Three others were sentenced to community service and criminal charges against them were dismissed,” the paper added.

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