Yifat Elkobi convicted for harassing her Palestinian neighbors; severity of her actions requires harsh punishment, judge says
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court convicted Wednesday Yifat Elkobi, resident of the Jewish settlement in Hebron , for inappropriate conduct in public and causing damage to the house of a Palestinian family in 2001.
Elkobi recently made headlines when Ynet exposed an incident documented by B’Tselem showing her harassing a Palestinian family in Hebron.
Justice Rivka Friedman-Feldman said that Elkobi’s actions were severe and that luckily she only smashed windows and didn’t cause any bodily harm.
According to the indictment, in 2001 Elkobi was throwing stones at the homes of Palestinians in Hebron, damaging one house.
Harsh punishment for severe acts
The court sentenced her to four months of community service, a suspended sentence of 6 months and either a NIS 300 fine (about $71) or a 10-day jail sentence. She was also instructed to pay the Palestinian family NIS 1000 ($237) in compensation.
In her ruling, Justice Friedman-Feldman wrote that Elkobi showed disrespect to the court and the judicial process during the trial, and that she still refuses to take responsibility for her actions.
“Until today, Elkobi has only received light punishments. The severity of these actions, however, requires harsh punishment,” she said.