Jewish Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Stone-Throwing Death of Palestinian Woman

A Central District Court in Lod has sentenced a young Jewish man to 13 years in prison for hurling a stone that killed Aisha Rabi, a Palestinian woman, in 2018. The court found the defendant, who was a minor at the time of the incident, guilty by majority decision. He has also been ordered to pay NIS 258,000 in compensation to Rabi's family. The prosecution had sought a lengthy prison sentence, emphasizing the severity and nationalistic motive behind the attack, which the court affirmed.

The incident occurred at night near the settlement of Rehalim when the defendant, then a minor, threw a large stone, weighing approximately two kilograms and measuring about 20 centimeters, at a vehicle with a Palestinian license plate. Rabi was traveling in the car with her husband and their nine-year-old daughter. The stone struck the vehicle, causing Rabi's death. The court determined the act was motivated by nationalism.

In its sentencing, the court highlighted the gravity of the crime, noting that the defendant had ended the life of a woman, a wife, and a mother of nine, who was innocent. The attack took place before her husband and daughter. Judges acknowledged that a significant factor in their sentencing was the defendant's rehabilitation process over the past seven years, including therapy, his new environment, and his maturation.

Testimonies from witnesses during the sentencing phase presented a different picture of the defendant than the one who committed the act, a view shared by the probation service. Rabi's husband stated that for him, justice would have been for Aisha to continue living with her family while the defendant lived his life and studied at university. The defense argued that the defendant did not commit the act, though this was rejected by the court.