Last October, Bezeq employee Alaa Abu Jamal went on a murderous rampage in the Malchei Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem. Ramming his car into a bus stop, Abu Jamal then exited his vehicle and proceeded to stab bystanders.
One of Abu Jamal’s victims, Rabbi Yeshiyahu Krishevsky, was killed in the attack. Abu Jamal was later shot and killed.
Now Shneor Krishevsky, son of the late rabbi, has filed a lawsuit against Abu Jamal’s employer, Bezeq.
The telecommunications giant, the lawsuit claims, is partially responsible for Abu Jamal’s attack. Despite initial claims by Bezeq that the corporation was unaware of Abu Jamal’s strong support for terrorism, he had in fact made public declarations in support of murders attacks in the past.
Following the Har Nof Synagogue Massacre in 2014, for example, Abu Jamal appeared on Yediot Ahronot for an interview in which he praised the attackers. It was later revealed that the murderers involved in the slaughter were in fact cousins of Abu Jamal.
“This act was because of the pressure of the Israeli occupation government against the Palestinian people and Jerusalem in general, and the ongoing harm to the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Abu Jamal. “It’s a normal thing that can be expected from every man who has courage and a feeling of belonging to his people and to Islam. It’s a normal reaction to the treatment we receive.”
Despite his much-publicized declaration, Abu Jamal was retained as employee by Bezeq, and given continued use of a company car. That car, notes the lawsuit, was the vehicle used in October’s deadly attack.
In response to the suit, Bezeq responded with a public statement restating its claim that the company “was unaware” of Abu Jamal’s ties to terrorism or his support of the Synagogue Massacre.
“The company was unaware and did not know at all about the interview the terrorist gave to the media prior to his attack. Besides that, there were no signs prior [to the attack] which hinted at his [intention to] carry out a criminal terrorist attack.”