Driver Who Rammed Habochur Yosef Eisenthal z”l Walks Free

The Yerushalayim District Court on Thursday turned down a police request to keep Fakhri Khatib under house arrest following a fatal ramming during a protest earlier this month that claimed the life of 14-year-old Yosef Eisenthal.

In her decision, Judge Hagit Mac Kalmanovitz said the legal threshold for continuing the house arrest had not been met, while stressing that the ruling does not bar investigators from taking additional steps as the probe continues.

The ruling followed a decision issued a day earlier by the Magistrate’s Court, which lifted all restrictive measures imposed on Khatib, including the house arrest he had been placed under for roughly a week. Police immediately challenged that decision, but their appeal was rejected.

Khatib remains under investigation on suspicion of causing death either intentionally or through reckless conduct, as well as causing severe injury to a minor. Authorities initially brought an aggravated murder charge, though it was later reduced.

At the court hearing, police acknowledged that Khatib himself contacted the emergency center after the incident, reporting that he was under attack and asking to be rescued. His attorney told the court that his client “was attacked, spat on, and felt in danger,” and maintained that “he acted to save his life without intending to harm anyone.” The defense further claimed the case amounted to a “political investigation.”

The incident took place during a January 6 protest opposing the proposed Draft Law. Video footage shows a bus driven by Khatib moving toward demonstrators and striking Eisenthal, who was pinned beneath the vehicle and killed. Three additional protesters sustained minor injuries.

{Matzav.com}