Two terrorists convicted of taking part in a violent lynching of Jews near Jerusalem's Lions' Gate during 2021's Operation Guardian of the Walls have been ordered to pay their victims a total of NIS 180,000 in compensation, the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ruled at the conclusion of a civil lawsuit filed by the victims.

In addition, the defendants were ordered to pay NIS 36,000 in attorneys' fees and legal expenses, bringing the total amount imposed on them to more than NIS 220,000.

The attack occurred on Jerusalem Day in 2021, as the three victims were traveling by car toward the Western Wall. When they reached the area of Rockefeller Junction, an incited mob attacked them, hurling rocks at the vehicle, spraying pepper spray, and physically assaulting those inside the driver and its passengers. During the incident, one of the defendants kicked one of the passengers and hurled a large rock into the vehicle from point-blank range.

All three travelers were injured in the attack, suffering, among other things, cuts and severe pain in their sides and eyes.

In its detailed ruling, the court noted that the incident constituted an especially serious act of violence with nationalist characteristics. The court further emphasized that the victims were targeted solely because of their Jewish religious appearance, and that the moments of terror and fear they experienced were a central factor in assessing the damages they suffered.

Judge Eliad Winshall ruled that the two defendants bear joint and individual liability for all the damages, pain, and suffering suffered by the plaintiffs, regardless of the involvement of additional individuals who were not sued in the case.

He rejected outright one defendant's attempts to portray his role as minor, pointing to his active participation in several different stages of the attack. In light of the circumstances, the court accepted the plaintiffs' position and awarded NIS 60,000 in compensation to each of the three victims.

Attorney Haim Bleicher of the Honenu legal aid organization, who represented the plaintiffs, praised the ruling, saying, "We welcome the ruling, which imposes substantial compensation on the terrorists who participated in a serious terrorist lynching during the Guardian of the Walls war."

"We will continue working to ensure that every terrorist or terrorist rioter pays a heavy price for his actions, thereby increasing deterrence and helping eradicate terrorism."