Eyewitness: J'lem brawl was lynch against Arabs

Volunteer for youths at risk says incident in which 18-year-old Arab man was seriously injured instigated by Jewish teens

Acting Jerusalem Police Commissioner Menny Yitzhaki instructed on Friday to set up a special investigation team to probe the violent clash between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem's Zion Square. The incident, which occurred Thursday night, left an 18-year-old Arab man seriously wounded.

The police say they plan to indict the suspects, and are looking into whether the incident had nationalistic motives.

An activist at an aid organization for youths at risk, who witnessed the event, posted a message on Facebook, claiming that the incident was more like "a lynch."

"Today I saw a lynch with my very own eyes, at Zion Square in the center of Jerusalem," she wrote.

"We arrived for our usual volunteering shift at Zion Square and not more than half-an-hour later, (we heard) screams: 'A Jew is a (good) soul; an Arab is a son-of-a...'. (We saw) dozens of teens running and gathering around, starting to deliver deadly blows to three Arab teens who were peacefully walking by," the activist wrote.

"When one of the Arab teens fell onto the floor, they continued to kick his head, and he lost consciousness... the assailants ran away and the rest gathered in a circle (around him) and some continued to shout with hatred in their eyes."

The activist further claimed in her post that when two of the volunteers tried to resuscitate the injured Arabs, "the crowds were complaining that they were Arabs and that they deserve it because maybe now they will be afraid."

A relative of the Arab teen who was hospitalized in serious condition recounted the event: "We were near Zion Square, and there was a group of boys who started shouting curses against Arabs. We walked really slowly because we didn't want any trouble.

"Suddenly, someone approached my cousin, grabbed him and told him 'what are you doing here you son-of-a-bitch.' (My cousin) tried walking faster but the man kicked him in the leg and he fell on the floor. Then someone said to call the police and they escaped. One of them hit me in the back. They did it because we are Arabs," he said.