When Jerusalem cab driver Sammy Shasha-Cohen picked up seemingly two ordinary men into his cab this past Saturday night, he did not even think that his life would end up in danger. “I was on King George Street in the center of Jerusalem and I was stopped by two people,” recalled Shasha-Cohen. “They asked if I was Jewish. I said yes, and one sat down next to me and said that his mother is Jewish and his father is an Arab. He said he needs go towards Givat HaMatos at the southern end of the city and the whole time he kept talking about how he is about to enlist to the Border Police.”Shasha-Cohen, who still did not suspect anything out of the ordinary, said that when he arrived at Givat HaMatos, he was asked by the Arab to drive onto a dirt road. “I said, ‘but there are no houses here,’ and he answered: ‘No no, go all the way up.’”
At that point, said Shasha-Cohen, he suddenly felt like he was suffocating. “He took out some gas. I pulled myself out of the car and called for help, and some firefighters arrived. The two Arabs ran towards the firefighters, and when they saw the two Arabs, they called the police. When the police arrived the firefighters showed them where the two assailants had run.”
Recalling the moments where he feared for his life, Shasha-Cohen said that he believes this was no robbery attempt but rather an attempt to kill him. “It was for sure an attempt to kill me because when I arrived at that spot he told me: ‘Don’t say a word. Stop and don’t move. We’re killing you.’ Those were the words he used.”
Despite the danger he faced, Shasha-Cohen is determined to continue life as usual. “I’m more cautious and more alert. That’s all. I’ll continue to work. This is my country. I live here. I won’t work here? I have to continue with my regular routine but I also have to be more careful.”
