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🇮🇱 Israel /Crime & Justice

'Ben-Gvir's soldiers': Teenager arrested on suspicion of assaulting Arab bus driver in Beit Shemesh

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Police arrested a 15-year-old Jerusalem resident suspected of moderately injuring Arab bus driver Khaled Awaishat during an altercation in Beit Shemesh.
  • Awaishat said the teenager demanded to get off between stops, then assaulted him after he refused, leaving him unconscious and requiring hospital treatment.
  • The driver said he and other bus operators fear working in parts of the city because of harassment and attacks.

Bus driver Khaled Awaishat said he lost consciousness after a teenager allegedly punched him repeatedly in the head during an argument in Beit Shemesh. Police arrested a 15-year-old from Jerusalem on suspicion of assaulting and moderately injuring the 48-year-old driver.

He spat at me and called me a 'dirty Arab' before punching me in the face.

— Khaled AwaishatThe bus driver described the alleged assault and the abuse he said preceded it.

Awaishat said the dispute began when the teenager demanded to leave the bus between stations because of a traffic jam. After the driver refused, saying he was not legally allowed to open the doors away from a station, the teenager allegedly opened the driver's door and struck him with an iron object.

"He spat at me and called me a 'dirty Arab' before punching me in the face," Awaishat told KAN Reshet Bet. He said he pulled the brake before falling from his seat, then turned to reach for his phone. "But suddenly, punches to the head, blows to the right and left until I lost consciousness. I only woke up in the ambulance. No one intervened."

But suddenly, punches to the head, blows to the right and left until I lost consciousness. I only woke up in the ambulance. No one intervened.

— Khaled AwaishatAwaishat recounted the attack after trying to reach his phone to call police.

Police found the suspect overnight, and he was scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on extending his detention. Awaishat said drivers face repeated harassment in some parts of Beit Shemesh, including curses, physical attacks and people blocking buses with scooters and bicycles.

The truth is, first of all, I want to see what the police do about this.

— Khaled AwaishatThe driver explained why he remained uncertain about returning to bus driving.

He said many drivers had left their jobs and that he was unsure whether he would return to driving. "The truth is, first of all, I want to see what the police do about this," he said. "When will this racism end?"

When will this racism end?

— Khaled AwaishatAwaishat questioned the treatment of Arab bus drivers in Beit Shemesh.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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