Friends of settler teen killed in West Bank car chase to be charged over rock attack

Prosecutors on Thursday notified four settler youths, who were involved in a car chase over a year ago that led to the death of a fifth teen, that they will be indicted for hurling stones at Palestinians, subject to a hearing.

The indictment would charge the four suspects with a racially motivated “terror act” of hurling stones at Palestinian vehicles, and driving without a license, the prosecution letter read.

Ahuvia Sandak, 16, was killed in the crash while fleeing from police in December 2020, shortly after the alleged attack on Palestinian drivers.

Thursday’s letter said the suspects, including Sandak, took stones “about the size of a fist” and hurled them a Palestinian vehicle traveling some 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour near the settlement of Kohav HaShahar. One stone shattered the windshield, and another caused damage to the car’s body, prosecutors charged.

The youths had initially been suspected of causing the Sandak’s death; a video published two weeks ago by the Attorney General’s office showed them driving recklessly in the wrong lane, as they sought to evade the pursuing patrol cars.

Dozens of protesters gathered at the main road into Jerusalem on Thursday evening to demonstrate against the closing of the case against the police involved in the chase and against the planned indictments.

The protesters blocked roads at the capital’s Chords Bridge, disrupting traffic. They have held numerous similar protests at the location in the past and have often clashed with police.

Sandak’s father, Avraham, insisted that the car his son was in was rammed by a police patrol vehicle which caused the crash and called to put the officers responsible on trial.

“Instead of putting the police on trial they are putting the youths on trial,” he said in a report from the Ynet website.

Sandak’s death has become a cause célèbre for right-wing activists, who have accused police of responsibility for his death, claiming they caused the car crash during the chase. Repeated recent protests over Sandak’s death have escalated into violence and arrests.

A statement from the Attorney General’s office last month closed a probe into police conduct during the incident. The statement said the evidence in the case showed police were justified in chasing after the car carrying Sandak, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin, and the four other young settlers, and that there were no grounds for claiming officers intentionally rammed the vehicle.

However, the attorney general did not explicitly say the teens were responsible for the death either.

Thursday’s prosecution notice made no mention of the police chase and Sandak’s death.

Saturday saw dozens of activists attempt to block the main entrance to Jerusalem, protesting the closure of the investigation of the police officers. Police said seven demonstrators were arrested by officers for “disorderly conduct.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.