Man sentenced to 21 years over 2023 rape that charged Jewish-Arab tensions

A man was sentenced Wednesday to 21 years in prison for the brutal rape of a woman in her home in Gedera in 2023, in a case that charged Jewish-Arab tensions despite no evidence of nationalist motivations.

Barakat Abu Asa, from the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva, was found guilty in April of aggravated rape and abusing his victim’s two-year-old son, who was present in the house at the time of the assault.

According to the indictment, Abu Asa had been working at a construction site across from the victim’s home in the central town.

On the night of February 2, 2023, he broke into her home by way of the building’s balcony, equipped with rolls of thick tape, which he used to tie her wrists and ankles and cover her mouth and her eyes.

When the woman began screaming for help, he said: “Shut up or I’ll kill you,” while her two-year-old son stood by and cried. Abu Asa then dragged her to the house’s safe room and raped her.

Within the hour, Abu Asa went to the kitchen, took a bottle of beer and drank it before the victim’s other son woke up and helped free his mother with a knife, according to the Ynet news site. The offender then fled the scene.

The victim, a woman in her 30s, had posted a message in her neighborhood’s WhatsApp group the following morning that said: “My house was broken into. I was raped in front of my children. Be careful and lock your doors.”

Two days later, police arrested Abu Asa in the West Bank.

The brutal assault sparked an uproar at the time and heated Jewish-Arab tensions in Gedera, though prosecutors found no basis for charging Abu Asa with nationalistically motivated offenses.

Days after Abu Asa’s arrest, police said they questioned four men on suspicion of planning to attack Arab construction workers in revenge for the rape.

National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who was present at the Wednesday hearing, reiterated claims that the crime was nationalistic, though there was no evidence for this.

The far-right politician, who has campaigned on Jewish-Arab friction, denied to reporters that his appearance was tied to the upcoming election.

State prosecutors involved in the case hailed the court’s decision, saying it established a new legal precedent in its determination that the assault in its own right constituted abuse of the victim’s child.

Abu Asa was also ordered to pay NIS 200,000 ($65,000) in damages to his victim.

“We commend the complainant for the courageous testimony she gave in court,” the State Attorney’s Office said. “She bravely endured a difficult journey, and we hope that this sentence will be of some comfort to her, so that she can continue her journey of recovery.”