Three Jewish Likud observers attacked in Umm al-Fahm during Israel’s 2019 elections have appealed the state’s decision to close the case, despite video footage and confessions from suspects.
A shocking case from Israel’s 2019 elections has resurfaced after victims appealed the state prosecution’s decision to close an investigation into an attempted lynching in Umm al-Fahm.
On April 9, 2019, three Jewish observers representing the Likud party arrived at an “accessible polling station” in the Al-Munatbi school to cast their votes. What followed, according to court filings, was a life-threatening chase through the city’s streets.
Attorney Chaim Bleicher, representing the victims through the Honenu legal aid organization, detailed the ordeal:
- As the observers waited for a police officer to check their IDs, a hostile crowd formed, verbally threatening and then physically assaulting them.
- Fleeing in their car, the victims were repeatedly ambushed by vehicles and motorcycles that tried to block their path.
- At one point, they were stuck in traffic and their attackers smashed the windshield with clubs and hurled objects at the car.
- Later, at the al-Ayun junction, they were again surrounded, beaten, and forced to fight their way out.
Bleicher said the victims believed their lives were in immediate danger:
“This was a nightmare lynch attempt. The fact that they escaped alive was a miracle and due to their own resourcefulness.”
He stressed that security cameras captured parts of the attack and that several suspects even confessed to involvement. Despite this, prosecutors closed the case about a year ago.
The Honenu appeal condemns the closure as a grave miscarriage of justice:
“Dozens joined in a rampage aimed at lynching Jews. No bystanders intervened, the policeman on the scene did nothing, and the state has now excused those responsible. We demand that the terrorists be punished.”
The incident highlights longstanding concerns over election-day violence in Arab towns and the failure of authorities to ensure Jewish observers’ safety. With the case now reopened for appeal, the victims insist justice must be done to prevent such attacks from being erased from Israel’s democratic record.
