A Jerusalem district court sentenced Nabil Sha’abani, a 62-year-old Jerusalem resident, to 22.5 years in prison today after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder on “nationalist grounds” and theft from a 74-year-old woman. According to the prosecution, Sha’abani strangled the woman twice, stabbed her in the neck and chest, and stole jewelry and cash from her home.
According to the amended indictment to which he pleaded guilty, Sha’abani—who had known the woman for years after working at her home doing cleaning and repairs—decided to carry out a stabbing attack against Jews near the light rail station in Jerusalem. He later arrived at her home to complete a repair he had started the day before and decided to carry out the attack he had planned there.
Sha’abani strangled the woman for several minutes and left the apartment believing she was dead, after stealing jewelry and cash from her. He later returned to the apartment to retrieve the walking stick he had forgotten, and when he noticed she was still alive, he strangled her again and stabbed her in the neck and chest. The woman was seriously injured.
The Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office requested a sentence of 22 to 26 years in prison and maximum compensation. The prosecution emphasized his exploitation of their prior acquaintance and the trust the woman placed in him, the cruelty and repeated attempts to cause her death, the nationalist motive, and the physical and psychological damage caused to her.
Judges Eli Abarbanel, Michal Sharbit, and Pnina Neubert ruled that through his actions, Sha’abani harmed “not only the complainant, but also the fragile fabric of life that exists between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem.” The judges also noted the attempted killing of a Jew simply for being Jewish, the exploitation of their personal acquaintance, and the cruelty and determination with which he acted.
The court ruled that “the proliferation of murderous incidents of this type in recent years aimed at murdering Jews simply for being Jewish, including the events of October 7, 2023, requires setting severe and deterrent punishment for them.” The judges noted that Sha’abani confessed to the crime immediately after his arrest and cooperated with the investigation, but in his final statement before sentencing did not express remorse for his actions.
In addition to the prison sentence, Sha’abani was given six months of conditional imprisonment and was ordered to pay the victim compensation of 150,000 shekels. The case was handled by attorney Sami Hourani from the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office.