Israeli toddler injured by rock thrown at car in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A toddler was injured in a Jerusalem neighborhood when a three-pound rock was thrown through the window of the car in which she was a passenger.

The girl, 2, identified as Avigayil, was hit in the head Thursday evening while travelling through the Jewish neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv, located on the Green Line which separates the West Bank from pre-1967 Israel.

The child, who reportedly lost consciousness after the blow, was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital where her condition was identified as serious. She regained consciousness and her condition was upgraded to moderate, according to Haaretz.

It is believed that the incident was nationalistically motivated, with some media reporting that the rock may ahve been thrown from the adjacent Arab neighborhood of Sur Baher.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in remarks delivered at the Western Wall where he lit the menorah for the second night of Hanukkah, wished the girl a speedy recovery.

“The first thing I would like to do this evening is to send my best wishes for a quick recovery to the baby girl who was injured by criminals here in Jerusalem. We will find the criminals and bring them to justice. We will watch over our city. I think that you have understood in recent days that our security forces are focused on apprehending wrongdoers and have been successful in doing so. They will be successful here as well,” Netanyahu said.