President Shimon Peres on Tuesday expressed shame over the beating of an Arab by a group of Jewish youths in Jerusalem, when he visited the all Muslim Arab town of Majd ek Karum in the northern Galilee
Peres, who in the past has condemned those who strike out at Jews for no reason other than the fact that they are Jews, this time had to deal with a role reversal.
"I am full of shame and outrage at what we witnessed over the weekend in Jerusalem. Jamal Julani was beaten up for no reason other than because he is an Arab. This is an intolerable incident of violence that we must uproot from our midst," Peres declared. "The perpetrators must be brought to justice and every effort must be made to bring Arab and Jewish youth together."
The attack took place just after midnight on Thursday night in Zion Square. Eyewitnesses said approximately two dozen Jewish teenagers surrounded an Arab youth and began beating him, continuing to kick him even after he fell unconscious to the ground.
Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar also addressed the attack Tuesday, instructing his office to discuss the brutal beating with students as they return to school next week.
At a conference held in Jerusalem ahead of the new school year, Sa'ar said: "This is a very serious event, both in terms of violence and racism. The high number of teenagers that participated in the incident adds to that concern."
"The education system must and will put out an educational and ethical statement on the subject. which will be sharp and clear," Sa'ar asserted.
Five Jewish teenagers, four males and one female, have been arrested thus far. The youngest is 13 years old. One 19-year-old Jerusalem resident arrested on Saturday afternoon was remanded on Sunday at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. Police created a special investigative team to deal with the incident and expect additional arrests in the coming days.
Julani’s situation improved on Sunday and he is no longer unconscious nor connected to a respirator, according to a spokeswoman for the Hadassah University Medical Center. He is awake and responsive and was moved out of the intensive care unit to a regular floor, the spokeswoman added.