The Supreme Court Monday upheld the life sentence imposed on David Ben Shimol, a 21-year-old soldier who fired an anti-tank missile at an Arab bus in 1984, killing one passenger and wounding several others.
The attack took place in the Ben-Hinom valley outside the Old City walls. Ben Shimol was on active duty with the Israel Defense Force at the time. He claimed at his trial that his intention was only to frighten the Arabs and to alert the government that not enough was being done to deter Arab terrorism.
The Jerusalem District Court found him guilty of first degree murder. Ben Shimol seemed nonchalant Monday when the high court confirmed his sentence. He said he intends to marry his fiancee and to apply for Presidential amnesty. He said he fully expected to receive the same treatment in prison as the convicted members of a Jewish terrorist underground serving time for acts of violence against Arabs.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
