Killing of Rabbi Meir Hai
Encyclopedia
The killing of Rabbi Meir Hai was an attack carried out by Palestinian
Fatah
militants on 24 December 2009 in the West Bank
.
located in the northern West Bank. Hai was a Torah teacher and in addition was a principal at the Shavei Shomron school. Hai resided in Shavei Shomron for 14 years before he was killed in the shooting attack.
Hai was the son-in-law of thed former Emanuel mayor Eliyahu Merav and was also a well-known member of the Bratslav Hassidic community.
out of the village of Einav
and headed towards his home at Shavei Shomron.
While driving on Highway 57, a group of Palestinian militants driving a Golf
vehicle drove next to Hai's vehicle and opened fire at him, apparently with an automatic weapon. Hai was hit in the head from 10 bullets. As a result, Hai's vehicle swerved to the side of the road.
After the attack the attackers fled the scene and abandoned their vehicle near the village Asira al-Shamaliyah after they set the vehicle on fire in order to conceal any evidence connecting the perpetrators to the event.
A team of Magen David Adom
paramedics war urged to the scene. They found Hai in his car, unconscious, bleeding massivly, with no pulse and not breathing. After resuscitation efforts the paramedics team pronounced his death.
According to an anonymous Israel Defense Forces
officer, a week before the attack, Israel had removed a traffic-monitoring roadblock
about 150 metres (492.1 ft) from where Hai was shot. The attackers apparently fled through the point where the roadblock previously stood, to the village of Asira al-Shamaliyah.
party, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said its members "withdrew from the area safely." It also warned of "a series of attacks to come."
The three militants involved in the killing were:
stated that
Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai
, Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman
, and Members of Knesset Yaakov Katz and Uri Ariel
attended Hai's funeral. Yishai stated that "Hundreds and thousands of children are crying over the loss of the rabbi," referring to the Jewish learning institutes Hai had set up.
Israeli Member of Knesset Michael Ben-Ari
, from the far-right National Union
party, said that "the path of capitulation, the opening of arteries, the [settlement] freeze and the release of [Palestinian] prisoners that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has brought down upon us signals to terrorists that Jewish blood is negligible. The terrorist probably thinks that he will be released in the next exchange."
and Nahshon Battalion troops conducted an operation in separate locations in Nablus
to locate three of the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades operatives who were determined by the Shin Bet to be behind the attack: Raghsan Abu Sharah, Raed a-Sarkaji and Anan Sabah. The fourth suspect reportedly turned himself in to Israeli authorities prior to the operation.
Short confrontations took place at the homes of Abu Sharah and a-Sarkaji. IDF forces used different methods including shots in the air in order to make the two surrender. Both refused, though Abu Sharah sent out his wife. In the third location, where Sabah was staying, a several-hour-long standoff included the firing of an antitank missile toward the house, in an attempt to force Sabah out. All three were shot dead by Israeli troops following their refusal to surrender.
An M-16 rifle seized from Sabah was later identified by a police forensics lab as the weapon used in the attack. Sabah had been released from an Israeli prison as part of the amnesty deal with the Palestinian Authority in 2007, in which Israel agreed not to hunt down Palestinian gunmen who agreed to lay down their arms.
Major Peter Lerner, spokesman for Israel’s Central Command stated that all three had been involved in anti-Israel violence in the past through activities in the Aksa Martyrs Brigades.
The following day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
stated at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting:
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
condemned the Israeli operation as an "assassination" and "an attempt to target the state of security and stability that the Palestinian Authority has been able to achieve."
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades threatened a quick response to the operation, stating: "This is a despicable ... We will not stand idly by and the holy warriors' blood will not be shed in vain. The enemy will see nothing but the language of blood and fire. It [the enemy] will pay for the crime … the response will be quick."
The shooting was cited in newspaper editorials demanding greater security for Israelis in the West Bank.
In January 2010, Israeli forces demolished an improvised Torah study center established on a hill between the Jewish settlements of Shavei Shomron and Einav, dedicated to the memory of Hai.
Sources in the IDF lauded the conduct of the Palestinian security establishment in its response to the killing of Hai, calling it "determined and impressive."
Fatah officials warned that the killing of its operatives could trigger a third intifada, which would be directed not against Israel but against the (Fatah-controlled) Palestinian Authority. During the funerals of the three men, thousands of Palestinians chanted slogans accusing the PA of collusion with Israel and calling for the dismantling of the PA. The funerals were described by a local journalist as "one of the biggest anti-Palestinian Authority demonstrations" in many years.
Fayad referred to the three accused murderers as "martyrs".
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
militants on 24 December 2009 in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
.
Background
Rabbi Meir Avshalom Hai, was a 45-year-old Israeli Rabbi and father of seven who lived in the Israeli settlement Shavei ShomronShavei Shomron
Shavei Shomron is a communal village and an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, founded in 1977. Located to the west of Nablus on the road to Tulkarm, it is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council. As of 2003, it had a population of 604, mostly religious...
located in the northern West Bank. Hai was a Torah teacher and in addition was a principal at the Shavei Shomron school. Hai resided in Shavei Shomron for 14 years before he was killed in the shooting attack.
Hai was the son-in-law of thed former Emanuel mayor Eliyahu Merav and was also a well-known member of the Bratslav Hassidic community.
The attack
On Thursday, 24 December 2009, at around 16:30 pm Hai drove his minivanMinivan
Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
out of the village of Einav
Einav
Einav is a communal village and an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank. Located on Highway 57 between Avnei Hefetz and Shavei Shomron, the religious Zionist and Orthodox Jewish community is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council. Established in 1981 with the...
and headed towards his home at Shavei Shomron.
While driving on Highway 57, a group of Palestinian militants driving a Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
vehicle drove next to Hai's vehicle and opened fire at him, apparently with an automatic weapon. Hai was hit in the head from 10 bullets. As a result, Hai's vehicle swerved to the side of the road.
After the attack the attackers fled the scene and abandoned their vehicle near the village Asira al-Shamaliyah after they set the vehicle on fire in order to conceal any evidence connecting the perpetrators to the event.
A team of Magen David Adom
Magen David Adom
The Magen David Adom is Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Star of David"...
paramedics war urged to the scene. They found Hai in his car, unconscious, bleeding massivly, with no pulse and not breathing. After resuscitation efforts the paramedics team pronounced his death.
According to an anonymous Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
officer, a week before the attack, Israel had removed a traffic-monitoring roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
about 150 metres (492.1 ft) from where Hai was shot. The attackers apparently fled through the point where the roadblock previously stood, to the village of Asira al-Shamaliyah.
The perpetrators
The Imad Mughniyeh Group, a little-known affiliate of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' FatahFatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
party, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said its members "withdrew from the area safely." It also warned of "a series of attacks to come."
The three militants involved in the killing were:
- Raed Sarkaji, a TanzimTanzimTanzim is a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement.-Overview:The Tanzim militia, founded in 1995 to counter Palestinian Islamism, is widely considered to be an armed offshoot of Fatah with its own leadership structure...
operative who was released in January 2009 from an Israeli prison after serving a seven-year sentence on terror charges; - Anan Subuh, an Al-Aqsa Martyrs' BrigadesAl-Aqsa Martyrs' BrigadesThe al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank. The group's name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...
operative pardoned by Israel as part of a 2007 deal, under which 400 Fatah militants handed in their weapons, promised to cease their terror activity, and in return were assured that the IDF would stop pursuing them; and - Raghan Abu Sharah.
Initial statements
The Yesha CouncilYesha Council
The Yesha Council is an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank , known by the Hebrew acronym Yesha.The Chairman of the Yesha Council is Dani Dayan, elected in July 2007...
stated that
the murderous shooting attack in Samaria is a direct result of the policy of lifting restrictions on the Palestinians, removal of necessary road blocks in Judea and Samaria and the transfer of the responsibility for security to those whose ranks produced many terrorists who murdered Jews. As in the case of similar incidents in the past, once again the gestures aimed at [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas] Abu Mazen carry a price tag of Jewish blood.
Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai
Eli Yishai
Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai is an Israeli politician and head of the Shas party. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas, and as both one of four Deputy Prime Ministers and Minister of Internal Affairs.- Political life :...
, Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman
Yaakov Neeman
Ya'akov Ne'eman is an Israeli lawyer and the current Minister of Justice.-Biography:Ne'eman was born in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era. He studied law at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earning a LL.B in 1964...
, and Members of Knesset Yaakov Katz and Uri Ariel
Uri Ariel
Uri Yehuda Ariel is an Israeli politician who current serves as a member of the Knesset for the National Union.-Biography:Born in Afula, Ariel served in a combat unit called Palsar 7 in the Israel Defense Forces and retired as a major...
attended Hai's funeral. Yishai stated that "Hundreds and thousands of children are crying over the loss of the rabbi," referring to the Jewish learning institutes Hai had set up.
Israeli Member of Knesset Michael Ben-Ari
Michael Ben-Ari
Michael Ben-Ari is an Israeli politician, and a current member of the Knesset for the National Union party. He is the first outspoken disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane to be elected to the Knesset. He has a Ph.D in Land of Israel studies.-Biography:...
, from the far-right National Union
National Union (Israel)
The National Union is an alliance of nationalist political parties in Israel. In the 2009 elections the National Union consisted of four parties: Moledet, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Tkuma.-Background:...
party, said that "the path of capitulation, the opening of arteries, the [settlement] freeze and the release of [Palestinian] prisoners that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has brought down upon us signals to terrorists that Jewish blood is negligible. The terrorist probably thinks that he will be released in the next exchange."
Israeli response
On 26 December, IDF Duvdevan UnitDuvdevan Unit
Duvdevan is an elite special forces unit within the Israel Defense Forces, directly subordinate to the West Bank Division and the Paratroopers Brigade. Duvdevan are particularly noted for conducting undercover operations against militants in urban areas...
and Nahshon Battalion troops conducted an operation in separate locations in Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
to locate three of the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades operatives who were determined by the Shin Bet to be behind the attack: Raghsan Abu Sharah, Raed a-Sarkaji and Anan Sabah. The fourth suspect reportedly turned himself in to Israeli authorities prior to the operation.
Short confrontations took place at the homes of Abu Sharah and a-Sarkaji. IDF forces used different methods including shots in the air in order to make the two surrender. Both refused, though Abu Sharah sent out his wife. In the third location, where Sabah was staying, a several-hour-long standoff included the firing of an antitank missile toward the house, in an attempt to force Sabah out. All three were shot dead by Israeli troops following their refusal to surrender.
An M-16 rifle seized from Sabah was later identified by a police forensics lab as the weapon used in the attack. Sabah had been released from an Israeli prison as part of the amnesty deal with the Palestinian Authority in 2007, in which Israel agreed not to hunt down Palestinian gunmen who agreed to lay down their arms.
Major Peter Lerner, spokesman for Israel’s Central Command stated that all three had been involved in anti-Israel violence in the past through activities in the Aksa Martyrs Brigades.
The following day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
stated at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting:
I want to praise the Shin Bet and the IDF on the speedy operation against the cell which murdered Rabbi Meir Hai. Our policy against terrorism is clear. We will continue to respond aggressively – against any attack on Israeli citizens and against any firing of rockets or missiles at Israeli territory.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad is a Palestinian politician and Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority of the Palestinian National Authority. His first appointment, on 15 June 2007, which was justified by President Mahmoud Abbas on the basis of "national emergency", has not been confirmed by the...
condemned the Israeli operation as an "assassination" and "an attempt to target the state of security and stability that the Palestinian Authority has been able to achieve."
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades threatened a quick response to the operation, stating: "This is a despicable ... We will not stand idly by and the holy warriors' blood will not be shed in vain. The enemy will see nothing but the language of blood and fire. It [the enemy] will pay for the crime … the response will be quick."
The shooting was cited in newspaper editorials demanding greater security for Israelis in the West Bank.
In January 2010, Israeli forces demolished an improvised Torah study center established on a hill between the Jewish settlements of Shavei Shomron and Einav, dedicated to the memory of Hai.
Palestinian Authority response
On 25 December, the Palestinian Authority stated that its security forces had rounded up, interrogated and released some 150 suspects in connection with the attack. According to an Israel Radio report, most of the suspects were residents of Tulkarem, and two of them were still being interrogated as of 25 December.Sources in the IDF lauded the conduct of the Palestinian security establishment in its response to the killing of Hai, calling it "determined and impressive."
Fatah officials warned that the killing of its operatives could trigger a third intifada, which would be directed not against Israel but against the (Fatah-controlled) Palestinian Authority. During the funerals of the three men, thousands of Palestinians chanted slogans accusing the PA of collusion with Israel and calling for the dismantling of the PA. The funerals were described by a local journalist as "one of the biggest anti-Palestinian Authority demonstrations" in many years.
Fayad referred to the three accused murderers as "martyrs".
External links
- Murder of Rabbi Meir Avshalom Chai - published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Jewish settler shot by Palestinian in the West Bank - published on The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
on December 24, 2009 - Gunmen kill Israeli in West Bank shooting attack - published on The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
on December 24, 2009 - Israeli killed in West Bank shooting attack - published on ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
on December 24, 2009 - Israeli settler killed in West Bank shooting - published on BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
on December 24, 2009 - West Bank: Israeli Settler Killed - published on The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on December 24, 2009