Elham Asaad Buaras
A Texas woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for the attempted murder of a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl in a racially motivated attack, a punishment civil rights advocates have condemned as dangerously lenient for a hate-fuelled crime against a child.
Elizabeth Wolf, 43, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and injury to a child after forcing the girl underwater at an apartment complex pool in Euless, Texas. The attack occurred after Wolf questioned the child’s mother about where the family was from.
Judge Andy Porter delivered the sentence on October 2, sparking outrage and debate over the justice system’s handling of hate crimes amid a nationwide surge in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab violence.
While Wolf’s guilty plea was seen as an acknowledgement of the crime’s gravity, many critics argue that the punishment fails to reflect the severity of the offence.
The case has since become a flashpoint in the broader national conversation about the rising tide of hate-motivated attacks in the US.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) voiced deep disappointment, warning that the ruling sends a troubling signal about accountability for hate crimes.
“The mind struggles to comprehend the kind of evil that would try to drown a little girl out of hatred for her religion and ethnicity,” said CAIR-Texas Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll. “Although we are concerned with the length of the sentencing given the severity of the crime… we welcome this guilty plea as an important step in the direction of justice for the family.”
CAIR-Austin Operations Manager Shaimaa Zayan echoed the criticism, saying, “I am deeply disappointed by the inadequate five-year sentence.This sentence sends a disturbing message that violent, hate-motivated attacks committed in broad daylight against the most vulnerable among us can be met with minimal accountability.”
The attack took place in May 2024 when Wolf confronted the children’s mother at the apartment pool. After a brief argument, she allegedly tried to drown the 3-year-old girl and attempted to grab her 6-year-old brother. The mother managed to rescue both children, who were later medically cleared.
The assault unfolded amid a sharp rise in threats and violence targeting American Muslims, Arabs, and Jews following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.
Other high-profile hate crimes from that period include the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in Illinois and the shooting of two Israeli visitors in Florida.
Wolf was indicted last year on hate crime charges, and the case drew condemnation from then-President Joe Biden. Despite that designation, advocates say the five-year sentence represents a broader failure of the justice system to confront the full scope of hate-driven violence in America.
Photo: Elizabeth Wolf has been sentenced to just five years in prison for the attempted murder of a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl (Credit: Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office)
