Share

Israel to release bodies of 9 Palestinians to their families

Israeli forces have killed at least 194 Palestinians, 133 of whom Israel has said were assailants.

Advertisement

Ben David expressed remorse for his crime – “I apologize and ask forgiveness”, he said in court – but the full punishment was meted out with unusual speed.

His two younger relatives were handed prison sentences of life and 21 years, respectively.

The court in February determined that Ben-David was mentally fit to be sentenced, rejecting his insanity plea that he should not be held responsible for his actions at the time of the kidnapping and murder because of a history of mental illness.

Authorities have said Abu Khdeir was killed in retaliation.

The ringleader of a group that kidnapped and burned alive a Palestinian teenager two years ago – a revenge killing that shocked many here because of its savagery – was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison plus 20 years.

A suspected car-ramming attack wounded three Israeli soldiers, one of them seriously, northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank on Tuesday. “He should never be released” said Khdeir to the Washington Post.

A lawyer for the Abu Khdeir family said he had filed a request with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to demolish the Ben David family house.

“This is an evil and cruel man who does not represent our civilised society”, state prosecutor Uri Korb said at the hearing, adding that the killing “brought shame upon our society and offended our values”.

Factors driving the violence include Palestinian bitterness over stalled statehood negotiations and the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, increased Jewish access to a disputed Jerusalem shrine and Islamist-led calls for Israel’s destruction.

The Palestinian health ministry named the attacker as 36-year-old Ahmed Shahaada from the Qalandia refugee camp.

Since October 1, 203 Palestinians and 28 Israelis have been killed in an ongoing wave of violence.

Advertisement

A 60-year-old Israeli man was moderately injured in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on Monday evening.

Israel: Guards, not officers, killed 2 Palestinian siblings