Three young racists assaulted and robbed a Palestinian bus driver overnight, Tuesday, July 15 in occupied East Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov settlement. Ahmad Al-Mughrabi, who works for the Extra bus company, was hospitalized with a broken nose after he was attacked at around 1 a.m. The driver was evacuated to a hospital in Jerusalem

The assailants choked, punched and kicked the driver, then stole his phone after disembarking, the Bus Drivers Union said in a statement.  Following the attack, the union halted service to Neve Yaacov. Zo Haderekh reported the incident as a racially motivated attack, like several assaults this year against Arab drivers in Jerusalem and nationwide.

Jerusalem bus driver Ahmad Al-Mughrabi after he was attacked and robbed by three racists early in the morning on July 15, 2025 (Photo: Ir Amim)

Hadash-Ta’al MK Ahmad Tibi called the assailants “a group of young Jewish Kahanists” in a post on X following the incident. “Had they been Arab, they would have already been arrested. But as Jews, they are protected. This is not just racist violence; it is policy. The National Security Minister grants them effective immunity, because they are his political base,” the lawmaker said.

Police recently arrested two 15-year-old boys in connection with a similar incident, which also took place on Monday night, in the central city of Elad. The pair from Elad and Petah Tikva, allegedly pelted a bus with rocks and cursed the driver after he told them to stop smoking during the ride.

The Knesset’s National Security Committee met past week to discuss attacks against Arab drivers. Uri Metuki, head of the public transportation division in the Histadrut’s transportation workers union, warned that inaction on the matter could result in a strike. “The phenomenon has intensified in recent months and the Histadrut will not stand idly by,” Metuki said. “If we do not see progress on the matter—we will be forced to stop public transportation in the country.” He clarified that the Histadrut demands that attacks on bus drivers and public transportation inspectors be defined as assaults on public servants, with harsher criminal penalties, and that physical barriers be installed between bus drivers and passengers.” Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman demanded the implementation of a plan that’s already been approved and funded for the establishment of a security unit for buses within the Ministry of Transportation.

MK Tibi, who brought the discussion to the committee, pointed to a rise in racist assaults against Arab bus drivers. “These incidents of violence are not being properly addressed,” Tibi said. “The police told me they ‘couldn’t identify them,’ even though I published photos of the attackers. That’s the reason these people feel free to attack and even film it and upload it to Tik Tok.”