The Central District Court in Lod handed down a 13-year prison sentence today to a resident of the Benjamin region who was convicted of manslaughter under circumstances constituting an act of terrorism in the death of Aisha Rabi. The defendant, who was 16 years old when the crime occurred, was also convicted of multiple additional serious offenses, including throwing stones at a vehicle and intentional property damage, all recognized as having been committed under terrorist circumstances.
Beyond the prison term, the court ordered the defendant to pay the maximum statutory compensation to the victim's family, 258,000 shekels (approximately $70,000). The ruling concludes a lengthy and complex legal process conducted by prosecutor Roy Reis from the Central District Attorney's Office. The court adopted the prosecution's position in full, convicting the defendant on all charges originally filed in the indictment.
The tragic incident took place in 2018. According to the detailed factual account presented by the prosecution and accepted by the court, the defendant, then only 16, traveled with several other individuals to an observation point overlooking the traffic artery of Route 60, a major highway in the West Bank. Their stated purpose was to identify and target vehicles carrying Arab passengers, motivated by nationalist ideology. At that same time, a family car carrying Aisha Rabi, her husband, and their young daughter was traveling innocently along the road, heading home.
After surveying the highway and identifying a vehicle with Palestinian license plates, the defendant picked up a massive rock weighing approximately 2 kilograms (over 4 pounds) and hurled it at the passing car. The large stone penetrated the vehicle's front windshield, shattering it, and struck Aisha Rabi directly in the head with lethal force. The severe injury caused by the direct blow left her with no chance of survival, and medical personnel were forced to pronounce her dead at the hospital shortly afterward, an event that shocked the entire region.
Following the sentencing, the Central District Attorney's Office issued an official statement emphasizing the significance of the legal decision. The prosecutor's office stated that the court delivered a sharp, decisive, and clear message today that faithfully reflects the severity of the defendant's actions and the tragic outcome of the incident, in which Aisha Rabi's life was brutally cut short. Prosecutors stressed that this was an unequivocal act of terrorism carried out with nationalist motives against a Palestinian civilian who was traveling innocently with her family, and that the severity of such phenomena and the danger they pose must not be taken lightly.
Representatives from the prosecutor's office further noted that despite the fact that the defendant was a minor at the time of the offense, the prosecution consistently argued before the court for a lengthy and significant prison sentence due to the lethal force involved, the gravity of the act, and its devastating outcome. This strict position was ultimately accepted by the judges. The prosecutor's office concluded that the sentence reflects the severity and danger associated with nationalist terrorist acts of this nature.
Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry reminded the public that due to the defendant's age at the time of the incident, there is an absolute prohibition on publishing any detail that could lead to his identification, and that the full and detailed sentencing decision has not yet been cleared for public release.
