Palestinian activist Faisal Husseini was spat upon, jostled and cursed by Jewish settlers, who attempted to maul him as he left police headquarters here Sunday.
The failure of the police to intervene drew angry protests from left-wing Knesset members later on. The police claimed the incident was over before they could act.
Husseini, a resident of East Jerusalem, had gone to police headquarters to retrieve personal documents which were confiscated during one of the many times he was questioned there about his nationalist activities.
About 30 militant settlers and members of the anti-Arab, extremist Kach party were congregated outside the nearby Magistrates Court when they spotted Husseini leaving the police center and attacked him.
Husseini was rescued by two bodyguards, who rushed him into a waiting car that was being pounded with fists and rocks. He was seen wiping spittle from his face as the car raced away.
The settlers who attacked Husseini happened to be at the courthouse for the hearing of another Jewish settler, charged with the death of an Arab shepherd over the weekend.
Baruch Yellin, 27, from Sussiya in the Hebron hills, was brought to the court on suspicion of killing 55-year-old Mohammed Nuja.
The shepherd was reportedly grazing his flock on land disputed between Sussiya and its Arab neighbors. Yellin, charging trespass, killed 10 sheep. He claims he was surrounded and menaced by other Arabs and had to fire his gun in self-defense, killing Nuja.
The court nevertheless ordered Yellin retained in custody for another 12 days.
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