Jerusalem, November 10, 2010 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned a violent attack against a Chilean tourist in Jerusalem and called on Israeli authorities to prosecute the suspects to the fullest extent of the law.

Police believe the victim, José Toledo Dominas, was attacked by a group of extremist Israeli Jews who mistook him for an Arab.  Eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack. 

ADL's Israel Office issued the following statement: 

This attack is shocking on many levels.  An innocent tourist was the victim of an ugly and violent expression of hatred by anti-Arab Jewish extremists blindly bent on hurting someone they mistakenly took to be Arab.  There is no place in Israeli society for violent acts against Arabs or any ethnic, religious or other minority.

 

We commend the Jerusalem police for their swift apprehension of the suspects and call on the authorities to prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law. 

 

We further call on the Israeli government, and educational and social leaders, to take heed of this heinous attack.  The assault against Mr. Toledo Dominas must be clearly and publicly condemned and Israeli society must take action to address and eliminate this violent hatred.

Mr. Toledo Dominas, a Chilean national residing in Spain, was reportedly in Israel for a friend's wedding.  He was attacked in downtown Jerusalem in the early hours of November 4.