Jewish extremist to be charged with beating elderly Palestinian woman, police say

Prosecutors plan to file terror charges against an extremist settler filmed beating an elderly Palestinian woman unconscious during an olive harvest in the central West Bank last month, police announce.

The suspect, who is apparently known to Israeli authorities in the West Bank, was arrested on November 9 and is set to be indicted this coming Friday. A prosecutor’s declaration has been filed against him today.

The defendant is one of dozens of Jewish extremists who assaulted olive pickers near the village of Turmus Ayya on October 19, injuring two Palestinians and a foreign activist. The attack left the victim, 52-year-old Afaf Abu ‘Olia, with a severe head injury. She was hospitalized for a week as a result of the beating.

The suspect is accused of committing a “racially-motivated terror attack involving severe assault” against Abu ‘Olia and other victims. Police say that the suspect has been involved in several other violent incidents prior to his arrest, including an attempted arson attack on a police vehicle and attacks on Jews.

Once charges are filed in the Jerusalem District Court, prosecutors are expected to request that the suspect remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings.

The indictment comes as security forces have been ramping up arrests of settler extremists over the past week, amid mounting domestic and international pressure to combat the phenomenon of Jewish nationalist violence.

Last week, a special task force was established within the West Bank District police to arrest settlers suspected of taking part in violent raids on West Bank Palestinian towns.

A minor was indicted on similar charges yesterday, after he was detained on suspicion of joining in a large-scale attack on a Palestinian factory and farmland in the northern West Bank.