Self-Described Palestinian ‘Migrant’ Arrested for Stealing Israeli Flag, Assaulting Jewish Homeowner

By Hamodia Staff

A man who described himself as a Palestinian migrant allegedly stole an Israeli flag from the outside the home of a Five Towns Jewish family and proceeded to assault the homeowner after the latter demanded that he return the stolen items, the New York Post reported Thursday.

Police arrested Bechir Lehbeib, 26, for allegedly stealing the flag from the porch of the Hewlett home and assaulting its owner, Alexander Binyaminov. The flag had the words “In This Home We Stand with Israel,” written on it.

The victim, whose wife lost a relative at the hands of terrorists on October 7 in Israel, suffered bruises from the attack, and blamed the Biden administration’s border policies for the incident.

“This is happening because of open borders, and before letting people in we need to see their backgrounds. We need to protect our country, our citizens, our taxpayers,” Binyaminov said.

Binyaminov told the Post that he discovered the theft in real-time when his Ring video security system alerted him of the robber.

“So I got dressed, came out. I confronted him,” Binyaminov said. “I told him, ‘Give me the flags,’ and he just started fighting with me and punching me in my face.”

Binyaminov described the subsequent assault.

“He basically got me in a choke position, threw me on the floor and head butted me. He was saying, ‘I’m from Palestine. You’re killing Jews.’ That’s all he said,” Binyaminov said.

Lehbeib was charged with hate crimes, second degree assault and robbery and criminal mischief. He was arraigned on Monday in Nassau District Court and held on $50,000 bail.

Police told the Post that the suspect launched into a rant to police, stating that he hated Israeli Jews and made other antisemitic statements.

Though Lehbeib described himself as Palestinian, officials who spoke with the Post say that they believe he is originally from a north African country. He entered the U.S. by illegally crossing the Mexican border November and has been living in both a migrant shelter and a Jamaica, Queens address, police said.

Binyaminov called Hewlett a “very quiet” neighborhood where “nothing ever happens”, adding, “I don’t know what he was doing in our neighborhood, targeting our Jewish members.”

While announcing the arrest, county Executive Bruce Blakeman hinted at possible deportation for Lehbeib, “Nassau County is not a sanctuary county,” he said.

Police said that they are investigating Lehbeib’s roaming of the Hewlett neighborhood. Lehbeib says he was in the area for work.