Prosecutors set to indict Beersheba’s deputy mayor for assaulting Bedouin men

Prosecutors are considering filing an indictment, subject to a hearing, against Beersheba’s deputy mayor for assaulting two young Bedouin men on shift at a gas station near the Gaza border last year.

Shimon Tubul, who was on reserve duty at the time and passing through Kfar Aza, was caught on security camera footage hitting and threatening one of the men with his weapon while in uniform.

The apparent assault took place after one of the men had arrived at work while playing Arabic music loudly from his car. The music incensed Tubul, who allegedly told the employee to “turn that garbage off” before assaulting him. He is later seen attacking the man’s shift manager, Ibrahim Abu Asa, bringing him outside and hitting him repeatedly in the presence of several other soldiers.

Tubul confessed to the acts two weeks after the fact, insisting through his lawyer, without evidence, that he acted to stop the employees from attacking Jews.

The far-right city official is known for making incendiary statements to the media. He made waves while appearing on Channel 14 yesterday, where he told an anchor that “we had a golden opportunity to erase this tale called Gaza” during the war with Hamas.

The two men Tubul assaulted filed a complaint at the Sderot police station, but the case was initially passed between the police and the IDF’s Military Police, both of which appeared averse to investigating the incident. Sderot police were eventually handed the case, and now, after over a year, prosecutors are poised to file charges against Tubul.

The hearing currently underway before the official filing of the indictment is meant to ensure state prosecutors have access to all evidence in the case. There is still the possibility that, during the hearing process, prosecutors will reverse their decision to press charges.