US Man Shoots Two Israelis Thinking They Were Palestinians
CrossFireArabia- February 17, 2025
A man in Florida, who has been described as a staunch supporter of Israel, is facing charges after allegedly opening fire on a vehicle in Miami Beach, believing the occupants to be Palestinian, US media reported.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Mordechai Brafman, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder following the Saturday night shooting.
Unprovoked Shooting Captured on Video
According to arrest documents cited by CBS News, around 9:30 p.m., surveillance footage captured Brafman’s truck traveling south on Pine Tree Drive before making a U-turn at 48th Street, where the victims’ vehicle was stopped in the left lane.
Brafman then drove past, stopped in front of them, exited his vehicle, and fired at least 17 rounds unprovoked, striking both victims as they passed.
One victim suffered a gunshot wound to the left shoulder, while the other was grazed on the left forearm. Police confirmed that there was no prior connection between the suspect and the victims, whose statements were consistent with the surveillance footage.
After the shooting, Brafman drove to an area near 4887 Pine Tree Drive, where responding officers took him into custody.
Shooter Expressed Anti-Palestinian Motive
At the request of his attorney, Brafman was not interviewed by police, but while in custody, he spontaneously stated, “While driving my truck, I saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both,” according to the arrest report.
However, the victims were not Palestinians. They were Jewish Israeli tourists—a father and son visiting the United States.
The Times of Israel, citing the same arrest report, described Brafman as an extreme supporter of Israel.
Call for Hate Crime Charges
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for federal hate crime charges in response to the attack.
“It is the alleged shooter’s reportedly bias-motivated actions, not the actual ethnicity of the victims, that should be the determining factor for charges in this disturbing case,” said Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, a CAIR representative, in a public statement.
Hate crimes can include attacks based on mistaken identity, which appears to be the case here.
Florida’s lax gun laws, which allow residents to carry concealed weapons without requiring training, background checks, or a permit, have also been cited as a contributing factor in the attack.
Broader Pattern of Anti-Palestinian Violence
This shooting comes amid rising anti-Palestinian racism and violence in the United States.
In November 2023, three Palestinian college students were shot in Vermont in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
The students—wearing keffiyehs at the time—were attacked while walking in Burlington.
According to the US Department of Justice, hate crime reports in Florida surged by over 50 percent from 2022 to 2023, with the sharpest increase in cases targeting individuals based on ethnicity and religion.
