News from Israel. Border police (Magav) officers who kidnapped and then murdered a 17-year-old Palestinian got off with light sentences, 8-1/2 years, 5-1/2 years.
(Compare with the news piece on the capture of the Palestinian who has apparently admitted killing a 13-year-old Jewish boy living in the Bat Ayin settlement. The boy's family is demanding a death sentence. It is likely that he will receive a life sentence.) — Ori Folger
Its similar in proportion to a terrorist that engineers the killing of a dozen, getting life in Israeli jails (not a death sentence).
No it isn't. Terrorists who engineer multiple killings get a life sentence for every person they kill. The fact that human beings don't live long enough to actually serve multiple life sentences is secondary to the fact that every murdered Israeli warrants a life sentence, not 8 1/2 years.
The Israeli Border Police represent the state of Israel. The Palestinian killer acted without officially representing anyone but himself. Killers should be separated from society to prevent more loss of life, but how can a killing society be separated from people to prevent loss of life?
I see Witty, so the word 'terrorist' increases a person's sentence?
You're so astoundingly shallow.
Both murderers should receive life sentences.
However, the Palestinian terrorist will probably be released in a prisoner exchange
Sorry, I missed the part that the kid had died.
Was he convicted of murder?
They should all get life sentences. (Although, these sentences are pretty typical when an Israeli murders and Israeli.)
The Israeli had a mental crisis and cooperated with probation officers. And it was not murder, merely an "aggravated assault".
I don't recall any Israeli being convicted for first degree murder of a Palestinian in the territories.
The conviction was for manslaughter, not murder. Apparently, kidnapping a boy, beating him up severely, and then pushing him off a a jeep going at 50 mph is not considered intentional killing.
Yoram Skolnik, for one.
Skolnik was convicted of murder and sentenced for life, but his sentence was commuted by President Weizman and Skolink was released after 8 years in prison.
Asher Weisgan murdered 4 Palestinians in 2006 at Shiloh, and convicted of murder and sentenced for 4 consecutive life sentences. He took his own life 2.5 months after sentencing. It's important to note here that in Israel a life sentence usually implies release after 25 years, but this is not possible with a sentence of consecutive life sentences.
Gur Hamel was convicted of murdering a Palestinian in 2000 at Beit Fourik, and sentenced for life. He is still in prison.
There are also a few cases of attempted murder and aggravated assault by Jewish terrorists, who were sentenced for more than the 8.5 years here.
And let's not forget Ami Popper who was convicted of murdering seven Palestinians from the territories in 1990 and is still in prison.
Thank you
Ami Popper killed 7 Palestinians. He got 7 life terms that were reduced to 40 years. He was able to go on furloughs. He got married in prison and had kids. Actually, he apparently got 'religious' and married a Kach activist. That's real funny.
That's how nice a 'life' sentence is for an Israeli Jew. You murder 7 Arab in the only 'democracy' in the ME and you take an extended vacation at a resort with barred windows. You can also meet equally insane racists and even start a family. Oh and don't forget those 48-hour midnight drives. Too bad you crashed your car and killed your racist wife. Karma's a bitch.
You know LD, you're a real piece of work! I can understand that you don't care for Popper. I don't either. I can even understand that if his wife was a Kach activist that you might not care for her. But what about his six yearold son who was killed in that car accident?
Now, let's just compare Poppers time in prison (where he still currently resides) with another murderer: Samir Kuntar.
Kuntar, as you will recall, was responsible for four deaths, including a father and his two daughters (an infant who accidentally suffocated while her mother hid her from Kuntar) and an Israeli police officer. A rather nice touch on Kuntar's part was that he smashed the four yearold daughter, Einat's, head in with the butt of his rifle.
Kuntar also married while in prison. And he even earned a degree in Social and Polical Science. Last year, after 29 years in prison, Kuntar, as you will recall, was released from prison in exchange for the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
Now, isn't that a nice 'life' sentence for a filthy, terrorist murderer?
You know LD, you're a real piece of work! I can understand that you don't care for Popper. I don't either. I can even understand that if his wife was a Kach activist that you might not care for her. But what about his six yearold son who was killed in that car accident?
Now, let's just compare Poppers time in prison (where he still currently resides) with another murderer: Samir Kuntar.
Kuntar, as you will recall, was responsible for four deaths, including a father and his two daughters (an infant who accidentally suffocated while her mother hid her from Kuntar) and an Israeli police officer. A rather nice touch on Kuntar's part was that he smashed the four yearold daughter, Einat's, head in with the butt of his rifle.
Kuntar also married while in prison. And he even earned a degree in Social and Polical Science. Last year, after 29 years in prison, Kuntar, as you will recall, was released from prison in exchange for the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
Now, isn't that a nice 'life' sentence for a filthy, terrorist murderer?
The only problem with Kuntar story is that it is a hasbara product:
From Haaretz "We turned Kuntar into God-knows-what – the murderer of Danny Haran and his daughter, Einat. The man who smashed in the girl's head. That's nonsense. A story. A fairy tale." Dr. Zvi Sela, a former senior police officer and a psychological consultant in Isreal Prison Service.
I didn't mention his children for that specific reason. I mentioned his pig wife.
And I don't support terrorism. If Kuntar did those things he should have been executed. However, as Eva pointed out – the official story is being challenged.
Eva, the short answer is: "bullshit". Check out the penal code in the US or any Western country. A person who carries out a crime while armed is guilty of murder if, in the commission of that crime, anyone is killed, even if it is the result of police fire.
That said, what you have cited here is an article in Haaretz based on what one person states he heard Kuntar say many years after the incident (and remember, Kuntar wanted to get out of prison). As Dr. Sela says (in the continuation of the paragraph you didn't choose to cite): "He [Kuntar] told me he didn't do it and I believe him." And if you look a bit further down, you'll see that Kuntar claimed that Danny Haran kept shouting "Stop firing, you crazy people." But then, it is rather uncertain that Kuntar understood Hebrew before his incarceration.
At any rate, I didn't bring up Kuntar to argue about his guilt or innocence. I brought it up because of LD's (rather ignorant) comments about Ami Popper's incarceration by way of comparison. And in that regard, Popper also came up with some bullshit story when he realized that he would be spending many, many years in prison about having been raped by Arab workers when he was a child.
Why is killing an Israeli regarded as a crime?
It's absurd!
what the hell happened to the site?
Dear Phil, This is Vita, the subject of your article. I would like to ask you a small favor. While I respect your right to publish your views on your website, I would appreciate if you would please remove my full name from your article. If you would simply write "Vita W." I would be very thankful. When I wrote that article to the NY Times, I did not expect for it to be published and become public. I am a private person and I don't like having my name associated with controversial topics on the internet. Thank you very much for considering my request. (Please do not publish this comment either. It was simply the only way that I had to get in touch with you). Respectfully, Vita W.