That happened in October 2015, when Ahmed Manasra was just 13 years old. His accomplice and cousin, Hassan Manasra, who was 15, was shot and killed by police. Ahmed was hit by a passing vehicle as he tried to escape.
Last May, Ahmed was convicted on two counts of attempted murder. He and his cousin had stabbed a 20-year-old Jewish man and a 13-year-old boy multiple times, critically wounding both. The wounded Jewish boy, Naor Ben-Ezra, underwent several emergency surgeries to save his life and recovered. He was present in the Jerusalem District Court in September when prosecutors sought a 12-year jail term for Ahmed.
The defense argued that Ahmed did not actually stab anyone that fateful day and had joined his cousin simply to “scare Jews.” As such, his sentence should be greatly reduced. The court rejected that and determined Ahmed had indeed sought to kill.
Then came a surprise from Ahmed, who had become a symbol of...
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