Out of Control - Youths Again Attack Bus Drivers: "A Test for the Police"

A group of youths attacked bus drivers of the "Superbus" company at the Binyanei Ha'uma station in Jerusalem, tampering with emergency valves, spitting, and physically assaulting them. The incidents led to a two-hour shutdown of lines and a police complaint. The "Koach La'Ovdim" organization called on the police to intervene amid a growing trend of violence against drivers nationwide.

A group of youths attacked bus drivers of the "Superbus" company last night (Wednesday, September 30) at the Binyanei Ha'uma station in Jerusalem. According to reports, the young people tampered with the emergency valves of line 97 and physically assaulted the driver who got off to check the malfunction. Later that evening, youths boarded another bus and spat on the driver. The serious incidents led to a shutdown of lines in the area for about two hours and the filing of an official complaint with the Jerusalem police. Itai Cohen, head of the transportation branch at the "Koach La'Ovdim" organization, warned: "In the past week, drivers have been attacked in Jerusalem every evening. This is a test for the police." The incident is not isolated: just before dawn, two Superbus buses were stoned in the Beit Hakerem neighborhood in Jerusalem, the fifth incident in this neighborhood in the last two months, in which a driver was injured in the face. Additional cases include stone-throwing at buses in Ashkelon and a violent attack in Modi'in Illit in August, where an 18-year-old youth broke through the protective barrier and hit a driver.