Court Convicts Arab Terror Stabber of Attempted Murder

A military court in Shomron has convicted an Arab terrorist stabber of attempted murder, three years after the terrorist, Ta’amar Shokat Hadir, tried to murder IDF soldier Ohad Hertz at the Ariel Junction in Shomron. Hadir succeeded in stabbing the soldier in his face and chest, although b’chasdei Shamayim he failed in his objective of murdering his victim.

According to the indictment, Hadir, carrying a long knife, approached the bus stop at the Ariel Junction, and rushed the soldier, who was unaware he was about to be attacked. The terrorist kicked the soldier and drove him to the ground, stabbing over and over again as he attempted to murder his victim. As Hertz managed to successfully defend himself, he attempted to get up, and Hadir then ran away.

Hertz pursued him until he fell again. By this time, first responders had arrived, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment. Hadir was caught by IDF soldiers a short distance away.

Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu rights organization, which represented Hertz in the case, said that “the conviction on attempted murder is obviously the correct one, as from his actions it was clear that Hadir intended to murder a Jew. B’chasdei Shamayim, Hadir was unsuccessful, but that does not remove from his intent or from the severity of the action. The punishment must be severe enough to reflect that severity. We will continue to represent victims of terrorism in the courts, and will continue to work to ensure that terrorists get as severe penalties as possible in order to deter terrorists and prevent future attacks.”