ByTZVI JOFFRE

A 19-year-old resident of Jerusalem was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of attacking a bus driver in the haredi city of Modi'in Illit in the West Bank earlier this week.

The driver was identified by Palestinian media at the time as Yaqoub Dais, a resident of the Old City of Jerusalem working for the Kavim Bus Company.

A preliminary investigation found that the bus driver was likely attacked after an argument broke out between the suspects in the case and the driver, after he refused to wait for their friend who was going to board the bus. The suspects prevented the bus doors from closing and attacked the driver.

The suspect was set to be brought for a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Thursday morning. The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected, according to police.

The official organization of bus drivers in Israel, under the umbrella of the Histadrut labor union, welcomed the arrest on Thursday."Now, the assailant should be put on trial as soon as possible while filing a strict indictment against him," said the organization. "Only recognizing drivers as public servants will put an end to the insane reality in which bus drivers have become cannon fodder."Earlier this year, graffiti spray-painted in Modi'in Ilit threatening Arab bus drivers was found scrawled on walls in the city. Graffiti on one wall read "Death to Arab bus drivers."
The bus drivers' organization said at the time that "The writing on the wall is clearer today than ever, because the day is not far off when drivers will get hurt – and it does not matter what sector they are from."

In 2020, some 3,644 cases of physical violence against bus drivers were reported. The actual number of cases is likely much higher, according to the bus drivers' organization, as less than half (about 47%) of incidents are reported.

Some 40% of bus drivers reported experiencing physical violence while working in 2020, according to the organization.


Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.