Please click here for a list of posts relating to the May 2021 Arab rioting throughout Israel and click here for a list of posts relating to cases in which Honenu has represented victims of rock or Molotov cocktail attacks.
Monday, November 27, 2023, 12:16 This morning (Monday), a panel of Haifa District Court Judges sentenced Kusai Abbas to 17 years' imprisonment for the attempted murder of Mor Janashvilli. Abbas was convicted of attempted murder as an act of terror, throwing a rock at a vehicle, malicious racially motivated vehicular vandalism, and rioting for his part in the attack on Janashvilli during Operation Guardian of the Walls. The court also awarded 180,000 NIS in compensation to Janashvilli.
During the sentencing, the judges underscored the fact that the hearing dealt with an extremely serious crime, attempted murder in an act of terror. Nevertheless, the judges wrote that one must not forget that the defendant took part in a wide range of acts. "In cases such as this, the weight given to personal circumstances is limited, and it has been repeatedly determined that preference must be given to the considerations of deterring the public [from terror], deterring an individual [from terror], and the considerations of the whole," wrote Judge Yehiel Lifshitz, who headed the panel, in the ruling.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Mor Janashvilli, stated, "During Operation Guardian of the Walls, Arabs in Israeli cities committed murderous acts of terror while Gazan Arabs launched missile attacks on Israel. We are of the opinion that the appropriate penalty for this terrorist, Kusai Abbas, who attempted to murder Mor with dozens of other blood-thirsty terrorists, is more than 20 years' imprisonment. In any event, 17 years is a significant penalty and indicates the severity of the acts that he committed. We expect the other terrorists who took part in the murderous attack to be penalized to the full extent of the law. They must be made to pay for their acts, and their sentences must also deter others from terror."
During Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021), Janashvilli was brutally attacked in Acco as he drove to visit his mother. Dozens of Arab rioters pelted his car with large rocks, heavy furniture, and anything else they could get their hands on. Janashvilli lost control of his car, drove it into a wall, and was forced to flee. The Arab mob beat him with clubs and kicked him until he collapsed on the ground in a semi-conscious state. He was saved at the last moment, apparently by Arabs who called the emergency services. He was evacuated by ambulance to the hospital, suffering from bruises on his entire body, broken bones, cuts on his face, partial paralysis in his left leg, headaches, and dizziness. Since the attack, Janshvilli has waged an uncompromising legal battle demanding that all of his attackers be brought to justice.