Israeli Teen Charged with Racist Animal Abuse and Assault in West Bank

The Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office filed charges on Thursday against Yedidya Kaufman, a minor from Beitar Illit born in 2005, accusing him of multiple offenses committed in the Samaria region while volunteering at an agricultural farm near Khirbet al-Tawil. The indictment alleges that Kaufman committed animal abuse, racially motivated animal harm, racially motivated assault, trespassing, assault, and driving without a license.

According to the prosecution, Kaufman never obtained a driving license. One incident involved Kaufman and others unlawfully entering a fenced yard in the town of Qabalan armed with sticks, intending to intimidate residents. In other events near Khirbet al-Tawil, Kaufman allegedly punched and kicked activists who tried to prevent him from entering Palestinian homes.

The most severe incident described in the indictment occurred when Kaufman drove a Ranger SUV at high speed directly into a Palestinian shepherd's flock, killing a pregnant sheep and injuring another, which lost its fetus. Kaufman reportedly refused to move the vehicle while animals were trapped under its wheels. He then allegedly knocked the shepherd to the ground and assaulted him with punches.

The indictment also details an occasion when Kaufman was caught driving an off-road vehicle removed from the road, with mismatched license plates, no valid vehicle license or insurance, and in violation of an active arrest warrant against him. The prosecution requested the court to order the confiscation of the SUV used in some of the offenses.