(JNi.media) MK Basel Ghattas (Joint List Alliance) responded on Saturday night to news of the arrest of four Arab youths suspected of throwing stones at the car of the late Alexander Leblovitz, 64, accused Israeli security forces, the Shin Bet and police of persecuting the children and the youth of Jerusalem for the sake of their career achievements. The young stone throwers caused Leblovitz’s death.
Ghattas said police were quick to solve the Leblovitz murder, while the terrorists who set fire in the village of Duma roam free or are under comfortable “VIP detention.”
“It is inconceivable that the police and the Shin Bet know how to work only when it comes to Jewish victims, while to date no details have been revealed about the Duma case, the names of those involved have not been exposed and the murderers have not been prosecuted,” said MK Ghattas. “Only when it comes to a Jewish victim the Shin Bet works fast and can tell us the story as it’s most comfortable with.”
Ghattas would not consider the possibility that the Duma arson was not committed by “extremist Jews.”
“I question today’s police statement,” Ghattas added, saying that “the reliability of the police and the Shin Bet is questionable when their conduct is biased … I will turn to the AG with a request to disclose the names of the Duma murderers and bring them to justice, especially in light of the statement of the defense minister matter on the matter.”
In mid-September, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon bragged to reporters that security forces already knew who the Duma arsonists were, but didn’t want their names exposed too soon. Ya’alon was forced to walk back his comment a day later, but many, Arabs and Jews, have been demanding more information on that horrific event.
Shin Bet and Police special forces have revealed this weekend that they had detained for questioning four young men, ages 16 to 19, residents of the Sur Baher neighborhood on the southeastern outskirts of eastern Jerusalem, on suspicion of involvement in the murderous attack with stones which killed Leblovitz and wounded two Jewish women. The four, who carry Israeli identity card with the status of resident, are Mohamed Salah Mohamed Abu Kaf, Walid Fares Mustafa Atrash, Abed Mahmoud Abed Rabbo Dawiyat and a minor whose details are not available for publication. During their interrogation, the four told the Shin Bet they had intended to carry out terrorist acts especially on Rosh Hashanah, and positioned themselves so they could throw stones at passing vehicles most effectively, and be able to spot the Israeli license plates of passing vehicle.
According to Shin Bet, Abed Dawiyat, whose rock hit Leblovitz’s car, causing the driver’s death, told his interrogators he had come out for the attack wearing a Hamas flag, which he received when he participated in a rally to “save Al-Aqsa” in the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm.