Jewish Miami Man Randomly Shoots Two Israelis He Hoped Were Palestinians

A wacky story of anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab animus played out in Miami Beach on Saturday night, as a Jewish American mag-dumped a pistol at two visiting Israeli nationals, telling police he attacked them because they were Palestinians. It gets nuttier: After the shooting, one of the Israeli victims reportedly posted "Death to the Arabs" on his social media account, declaring the attack was an act of antisemitism. 

Police say that, at 9:30 pm on Saturday, 27-year-old Mordechai Brafman was driving south on Pine Tree Drive before executing a U-turn at 48th Street and then stopping. His victims were in a Hyundai behind him and in the next lane. “[Brafman] then exited his vehicle and remained on the driver’s side,” the police report says. “As the victims were driving past him, he shot at the victim’s vehicle 17 times, unprovoked, striking both victims.”

Brafman, 27, has been booked into Miami-Dade's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on two counts of attempted murder. When he was interviewed by police, Brafman was quick to admit to his intent and motive, as he "spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both," police say.  

He was wildly wrong about the ethnicity of his victims -- and the efficacy of his pistol work. Despite firing 17 shots, he only managed to hit one of the Israelis, Ari Rabi, in the shoulder, while grazing Rabey's father in the forearm. Rabi made his own false conclusions about what transpired. According to a Facebook screenshot posted on X and credited by The Guardian, Rabi posted pictures of himself and his shot-up vehicle, along with this narrative, which is Facebook's imperfect translation of the original Hebrew: 

"My father and I went through a murder attempt against anti-Semitic background. They tried to murder us in the heart of Miami but the creator of the world is with us so he didn't go. I want to say thank you to everyone for their support it is not taken granted with Israel Live. <Israeli flag emoji>. Death to the Arabs <prayer hands emoji>." 

“It is deeply ironic and telling that both the alleged pro-Israel perpetrator and the pro-Israel victim in the Miami Beach shooting reportedly hold racist anti-Palestinian views,” said Nihad Awad, National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "Policymakers in our nation should stop fomenting the anti-Palestinian hate that led to the genocide in Gaza and to hate crimes in America.”

Rabi struck a different tone when talking to CBS News about the incident: "A life shouldn't just be taken away from anyone. It doesn't matter who you are, what religion you are, or where you're from. People should just live in peace." Speaking of different tones, Brafman in 2023 told a local TV station that "I'd love to see some unity and people come together," as he commented on incidents in which Israeli flags and pro-Israeli banners were yanked from the eaves of a bagel shop he frequented:

Brafman's lawyer quickly attributed his client's attempted murder of two randomly-selected "Palestinians" to mental health problems. “It is believed that his ability to make sound judgments was significantly compromised," Dustin Tischler told the Miami Herald. “We are...committed to working with healthcare professionals to ensure Mr. Brafman receives the appropriate and necessary treatment. 

The bizarre episode has drawn light media attention. It's safe to say that, if a Palestinian-American shot two vacationing Arabs in Miami because he thought they were Israelis, the story would have a very high media profile, with the incident decried as terrorism and exploited by US and Israeli politicians to advance pro-Israel policies.