Jews Down Under An online magazine for Australian Jews
Stop calling Mohammad Kosba a kid. He was a 17 year old terrorist who attempted murder. It was just chance his intended victim was a soldier and not a civilian, the same age as he. To call him a teen on his way to pray, as did Mondoweiss is truly risible.
Kosba wasn’t a ten year old who didn’t know any better. He was a burly young man with quite a bit of five o’clock shadow; a member of a Fatah family, distinguished by the death of his brothers while also stoning Israelis; who had photographs taken of himself posing with firearms.
His family considered him and his brothers warriors while alive and shaheeds (martyrs) when they died. Had he died, a legal adult, a year or less later would his death have been as played-up by the media?
Look at the photograph. Frankly he looks a very husky young man. I wouldn’t be the least surprised to find his real age had been lowered to enhance his victim status as a ‘child’.
Criminal stone throwing
There is a move in Israel to introduce the death penalty for terrorism. This has been incorrectly portrayed as a death penalty for stone throwers proposal. The penalty is proposed solely for terrorists who murder Israelis.
In any case, the Knesset voted down death penalty for terrorists 94-6.
However it did intrigue me. Do other Western countries treat criminal stone throwing as a children’s mischief, as Israel is expected to do?
- In the United States, rock-throwing is a felony and rock-throwers face criminal charges that include aggravated assault, throwing a missile into an occupied vehicle, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment of life, and aggravated assault with a lethal weapon. They can receive up to 20 years. Individuals who were part of a group engaged in rock-throwing can be convicted and imprisoned even if they did not personally throw any missiles. In practice, punishment varies.
- In Great Britain stone throwers are sentenced on average to 3.5 years in prison if the criminal justice system can prove that the action took place in a riot.
- Under Australian law, rock throwers can be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.
- In New Zealand, individuals who throw rocks at cars can serve 14 years for endangering transport.
- In Turkey stone the harsh sentences of 23 years handed down against stone throwing children but the sentences were reduced.
- In Vietnam sentence of 4 years was given to a 17 year old for a stone throwing incident where a man lost an eye.
| Country | Sentence |
|---|---|
| United States | up to 20 years |
| United Kingdom | average 3.5 years |
| Australia | up to 5 years |
| New Zealand | up to 14 years |
| Turkey | up to 23 years |
| Vietnam | 4 years |
Sami Kosba, the father, added the picture of a third son killed by the IDF to his wall, just in case we might think he was a random passer-by. Do we see a pattern?
