The
indictment said that 21-year-old Mohammed Sharaf began throwing stones
at the car of David Be'eri, the head Elad association, while traveling
in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan with his 14-year-old son.
Elad promotes the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem by settling of Jews in
the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
The
indictment added that "as David Be'eri increased the speed, in an
attempt to avoid the stone throwers, the defendant threw a stone at the
car, strongly." As a result, the car's rear and side windowpanes were
smashed, the windshield was cracked and the car's hood and doors were
damaged.
The
Israeli prosecutor added two counts of endangering human life and
attempting to sabotage transportation. The prosecutor requested that the
Sharaf's remand be extended through the end of the proceedings.
The
videotaped incident received widespread attention after a camera crew
captured a 11-year-old Omran Mansour being hit by Be'eri's car, as he
was throwing stones at him. Mansour was
hospitalized after the incident and denied hurling the stones. "I had
just come out from the Friday prayer at the neighborhood's protest tent
when I saw a car driving straight toward me," he claimed.
Meanwhile, the Israeli police on Sunday detained Mansour and another youth for questioning at the Russian Compound in the city.
Mansour
was remanded to house arrest for two weeks, on condition of 2000
Israeli shekel bail (about US$560) set by Jerusalem police on Sunday. He
will be allowed out of his house to travel to and from school, under
the supervision of a parent.
The second boy was released with a warning not to repeat his actions again.
According
to Silwan residents, the arrest was aimed at intimidating the children
and their families and preventing them from attending protests against
Jews settling in the area.
Silwan
is home to some 60,000 Palestinians and 500 Jewish occupiers. Jews call
it the "City of David" and claim that the ancient kings and prophets
lived here and that it was the site of nearly half the major events in
the Bible. Rightist Jewish groups say that only Jews should live on this
land. The resulting friction between the tens of thousands of
Palestinians and some 70 occupiers' families requires the presence of
dozens of security guards and surveillance cameras.
Since
Palestinian resident Samer Sarhan was shot to death on late September,
hardly a day has gone by without clashes between the two parties.
Israeli
police said Sunday that extra police officers are set to be dispatched
to the Silwan in the coming days to prevent further rioting by
Palestinian youths.
