A precedent was set by the Israeli Defense Ministry, enabling a woman who had been sexually assaulted by four Palestinians to be granted the status of a terror or war victim. Photo: Wikipedia.

For the first time in Israel’s history, a case of sexual assault is going to be recognized as an act of war or terrorism, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

According to a precedent-setting ruling by the Defense Ministry, a young woman who was sexually assaulted at age 14 by four Palestinian teens in her Jerusalem neighborhood, will be eligible for all the financial and other aid normally granted to Israelis wounded in acts of enemy aggression.

The act took place more than 11 years ago, in June 2006, when four Palestinian boys, then minors, followed the girl one evening while she was out walking by herself near the Pisgat Ze’ev shopping mall. As she passed a bus stop, they rode up to her on their bicycles and began touching her, tugging at her shirt and laughing. After that, they blocked her way, hit her and shoved her down a slope in the road, where they sexually assaulted her. The girl managed to escape and later helped police apprehend her attackers.

According to the ruling, “The site of the attack and the general atmosphere of tension in that area related to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the type of event and the identity of the attackers — together constitute a reasonable basis to assume that it was an act of enmity.”

Once defined in this manner, the sexual assault is comparable to any attacks specifically targeting Jews – something that the legal counsel of the defense establishment determined was relevant to this specific case based on testimony provided by police and other sources.