Israeli court censured by family of murdered British tourist
An Israeli court has been criticised by the family of a British tourist stabbed to death in Jerusalem after her attacker avoided life inprisonment.
The Palestinian man, Jamil Tamimi, 59, randomly attacked 21-year-old Hannah Bladon, who was participating in an exchange at an Israeli university in Jerusalem from the University of Birmingham, in April 2017.
The prosecutor in the case said that it was not a terrorist attack but a case of Tamimi not being mentally fit. He sentenced Tamimi to 18 years in prison.
Bladon’s family, however, said that the punishment was not harsh enough.
“For the family, it makes no difference whether this was a terrorist attack or just another crazed murderer,” said family lawyer Maurice Hersh.
“They are outraged by the leniency of the sentence. They expected Hannah’s murderer to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
According to a court transcript, the prosecutor called the killing “a terrible murder carried out by a mentally ill person”. He explained this as the justification for not seeking a life sentence for Tamimi.
Bladon was on the way to a church where she volunteered when Tamimi attacked her on a tram. She came within his reach after offering her seat to an older woman.
Bladon was stabbed at least seven times.
The attacker tried to commit suicide after the assault but police officers restrained him.
A series of Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israelis in Jerusalem led to fears that Tamimi’s attack was another occupation-related incident.
Dozens of Palestinians who carried out similar attacks, many of them as a political act against Israel, have been shot by security forces or armed civilians.
Tamimi was quoted in the court transcript. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“I wish I could take her place. I did not mean to murder her. I don’t know how it happened.”