Ben-Yosef’s killer sentenced to only 6 years

Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 16:10 On Tuesday, April 18, the Shomron Military Court handed down a six-year prison sentence to Noaf Fahd, who was accused of shooting Ben-Yosef Livnat, Hy”d, to death in April 2011 near the entrance to Kever Yosef (Joseph’s Tomb Compound) in Shechem.
Noaf Fahd was convicted of shooting at a group of Jewish worshippers, including Ben-Yosef Livnat, at Kever Yosef during the 2011 Passover holiday. Fahd was also convicted of disrupting judicial proceedings because he had scattered rocks at the scene after the shooting and gathered the bullet jackets scattered at the scene. Due to reasonable doubt the court exonerated Fahd of intentionally causing death. Ben-Yosef’s family leveled severe criticism at the verdict.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is assisting the family with realizing their rights as victims of terror, reported after the verdict: “The verdict which exonerated the defendant of murder is difficult to understand and has no basis in the evidence and the large body of facts which were presented in court. The defendant explicitly admitted to shooting at the murder victim’s vehicle and even admitted to injuring him. Also a bullet which matched the trajectory indicated by the defendant in his confession was found in the murder victim’s vehicle. On its own initiative, the court brought up illogical scenarios for the possible injury of the victim by another terrorist, despite the fact that all of the evidence points to the defendant being the only one who shot at the murder victim’s vehicle. We expect that at the stage of appeal, justice will be done and the terrorist will be appropriately penalized.”
Bleicher leveled criticism at the conduct of the court concerning Ben-Yosef’s family: “Unfortunately we encountered callousness towards the murder victim’s family by the court and the judges. The family’s rights as crime victims were ignored after the verdict was handed down and the judges attempted to separate the family from the case. In the verdict of the case it was clear that the terrorist had actively taken part in the murder and tampered with evidence. This has been a double blow to the family – once from the terrorist and again from the conduct of the judges.”