LONDON: Israeli police on Monday arrested a 15-year-old Israeli following an assault on an Arab bus driver in Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, that left the victim hospitalized.

The attack occurred around noon on Sunday, according to Israeli media reports, when a local Line 2 bus arrived at a square near Yarden Street and a passenger demanded that the driver open the door so he could leave between designated stops.

The driver, identified by Israeli media as Khaled Asiwat, an Arab citizen of Israel, refused to do so, explaining that dropping him off there would violate regulations and could endanger the passenger. The teen then reportedly punched the driver until he lost consciousness.

Bus driver Khaled Asiwat, who was attacked in Beit Shemesh on August 30, 2026, speaks to Israel's Kan public broadcaster about the assault. (Screenshot/Times of Israel)

In an interview with the Israeli public broadcaster Kan from his hospital bed, Asiwat said the confrontation began after several passengers told him to let them off at a spot that was not a bus stop.

“Some guys wanted me to stop when we weren’t at a station,” he said. “I didn’t agree, because it’s against the law. So (the passenger) started beating me.”

Asiwat added that he tried to call the police for help while he was being assaulted. Before losing consciousness, he said, he heard the attacker call several companions over.

“The bus was full of people,” Asiwat said.

The suspect fled the scene and police launched an investigation into the incident on Sunday night, the Israeli Ynet news site reported. Authorities were expected to ask a court on Monday to extend the detention of the teenager they arrested.

The assault comes amid a growing number of attacks on Arab bus drivers, particularly in and around Jerusalem, by ultranationalist Jewish youths. Koach LaOvdim, an Israeli labor organization, warned that stronger safeguards were needed to protect workers.

“If we don’t act, the attacks on public transport workers won’t stop until a driver or fare inspector pays with his life,” the organization said.

Itay Cohen, who heads the group’s transportation division, called for expanded police protection for transit employees, barriers to separate drivers from passengers, and legal recognition of bus drivers as public servants, which would carry enhanced penalties for anyone found guilty of assaulting them.

Earlier in August, teenagers attacked an Arab driver on a Jerusalem bus route, knocking out four of his teeth and leaving him unconscious, Israeli media reported.

In February, Koach LaOvdim said assaults on bus drivers increased by 30 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, as the group documented 100 physical assaults in Jerusalem in which a driver required medical treatment.