On Dec. 2, 1998, less than two years before the eruption of the second intifada, two Israelis were trapped by a raging Palestinian mob at the Ayosh intersection near the West Bank town of Ramallah. The two Israelis, traveling in a private car from Beit El settlement to Jerusalem, were Yehuda Oliva and soldier Assaf Miara, who hitched a ride with him.
The demonstrators, most of whom were Birzeit University students, hurled stones at the moving car from a distance of only a few meters. Oliva managed to escape but Miara remained trapped in his seat while the car continued its slow progress until it hit a wall and came to a halt. The demonstrators smashed the car windows and forcefully beat the soldier. Luckily, a restaurant owner from Ramallah protected Miara with his body and succeeded in spiriting him away, thus saving him from certain death.