Skip to main content

Israeli man buys Palestinian girl bike after soldiers threw hers away

Elderly man said incident reminded him of his youth in Europe when anti-Semitic gang threw his bike in river
Screenshot taken from footage shot by rights's group B'Tselem in Hebron in early August (YouTube)

An Israeli man has donated a bike to an eight-year-old Palestinian girl who caught international attention earlier this month when two Israeli security guards were filmed throwing her bike away.

Sami Jolles, a diamond dealer who splits his time between the US and Israel, reportedly felt moved by the girl’s plight and said that it reminded him of his youth back in Europe when he was attacked by anti-Semites who threw his bike in a river.

Peace activist Lonny Baskin told The Times of Israel on Wednesday that Anwar Burqan has now received a new bike to make up for the one that was reportedly badly damaged during the incident and could no longer be used. The newspaper published photos of Burqan holding the new bike and smiling. 

The soldiers involved in the incident later claimed they took away the bike to protect the girl. They were not charged over the incident. 

Hebron is fiercely divided between the Palestinian majority and a small but very active settler community that lives literally above Palestinian homes and shops in the Old City and is heavily guarded by the Israeli army.

Tensions regularly spill over, causing clashes, crackdowns and curfews. 

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Stay informed with MEE's newsletters

Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked

 
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.