Killing of Alexander Levlovich

On 13 September 2015, Alexander Levlovich, a 64-year-old manager of a home for disabled persons, was driving through the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of East Jerusalem with his two daughters after a family Rosh Hashanah dinner. Palestinians threw rocks at his car; the stones striking the vehicle caused him to lose control and crash into a utility pole. Levlovich died in hospital the following day. His two daughters, who were also in the car, were badly injured. He is regarded as the first casualty in the wave of violence that swept the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2015 and 2016.

The violence began when Muslim youths gathered at the al-Aqsa Mosque intending to block Jewish visits to the Temple Mount on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. The youths barricaded themselves inside the mosque, throwing rocks and flares at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. News of the unrest spread rapidly through social media, contributing to rock-throwing and stabbing attacks in nearby neighborhoods, including the attack that killed Levlovich.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site of the killing and stated that a "thug and criminal" who repeatedly threw rocks at car windshields "did not kill, it murdered," and declared that authorities would "use all necessary means" against stone-throwers and those using Molotov cocktails, pipe bombs, or fireworks against police and civilians.

Four perpetrators confessed to the crime, and a total of five men were convicted in connection with the stoning. Abed Dawiat (also referred to as Mahmoud Abed Rabbo Doiat), who was 19 at the time of the offense but reported elsewhere in court findings as 17, was convicted of manslaughter for throwing the rocks that caused Levlovich's death — reportedly the longest sentence ever handed down by an Israeli court for a stoning attack. Dawiat stated he was wearing a Hamas flag, given to him at a demonstration protesting Israel's ban on the activist group Murabitat from the Temple Mount, at the time of the attack. Co-defendants Muhammad Abu Salah (19) and Fares Mostafa Walid Atrash (19), along with a fourth defendant whose identity was withheld because he was a minor, pleaded guilty and were found to have participated in the stoning. Dawiat had also been convicted separately of throwing firebombs at Israeli police in 2014. A court ordered the demolition of Dawiat's family home. As of March 2018, Israel's Interior Minister was reportedly considering revoking Dawiat's residency rights in East Jerusalem under a law permitting such action for people involved in terrorist activity.

Levlovich's death prompted Israel's Security Cabinet to enact new measures on 24 September 2015 against rock and Molotov cocktail attacks, including authorizing police use of .22-caliber Ruger rifles under specified threat conditions and revoking child support benefits for imprisoned minors. Legislation was also proposed to impose minimum and maximum prison terms for adults committing such attacks and higher fines for minors and their parents. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked cited the case, noting the perpetrators were charged with manslaughter rather than murder because existing law required proof of premeditation, in arguing for legislation enabling life sentences for such attacks.