Druze Woman Assaulted on Tel Aviv Bus for Speaking Arabic

A young Druze woman alleges she was verbally and physically assaulted on a bus in Tel Aviv after speaking Arabic on the phone. The incident occurred on Dizengoff Street when a group of teenagers allegedly began throwing socks at her, taking photos, laughing, and shouting racist and sexually harassing slurs. She reported that despite the bus being full, no other passengers intervened.

The woman stated that after initially trying to ignore the harassment, the teenagers escalated their actions, throwing socks at her repeatedly and uttering deeply offensive remarks, including "stinking Arab, you have no place in the country." She expressed feeling invisible and unsupported by the other passengers.

According to the woman, her family contacted the police about the incident, but the investigation was initially closed, with authorities citing an inability to obtain security footage from the bus. Her brother and father then obtained the video themselves, which clearly showed the minors involved in the assault and humiliation. Following the family's submission of the footage, the police reopened the investigation.

However, the woman claims that even after reopening the case, the police struggled to identify the perpetrators. She stated that the suspects were eventually identified after the incident gained public attention and one of the alleged attackers commented on the story. This individual reportedly attempted to shift blame by falsely claiming the victim had said "Free Palestine" upon boarding the bus.

The victim vehemently denied this accusation, emphasizing her family's strong Zionist identity and her father's service in sensitive government roles, as well as her brother's service in the IDF. She expressed deep distress that such a false claim was made and criticized the alleged attacker for compounding her actions with further deceit instead of apologizing.