Rabbanit Sivan Ohayon; Photo credit: Flash90
Sunday, October 25, 2020, 16:30 On Sunday, October 25, the High Court of Justice rejected the petition filed by Khalil Abed Alhalaq Mahmed Duikat, the terrorist who murdered Rabbi Shai Ohayon, Hy”d, in Petah Tikva in August, and allowed the IDF to demolish the terrorist’s house. The terrorist, his family, and a radical left-wing organization, “HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual”, had petitioned the court, demanding that the IDF not demolish the terrorist’s house. The decision was received by a majority opinion; Justice Menachem (Meni) Mazuz dissented.
Justice Noam Solberg wrote the majority of the ruling, which received the support of Justice Yael Willner. Regarding the claims of the petitioners that demolishing the house is contrary to international conventions, Justice Solberg wrote in the ruling: “We cannot interpret the international conventions that the State of Israel has accepted in isolation from the war on terror, which we experience, unfortunately, on a daily basis. We value life, and will not die on the altar of the Geneva Conventions. It is well-known that the State of Israel copes with evil-plotting destruction-seekers, whom the proponents of the conventions did not foresee at all when they crafted and finalized their provisions.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the Ohayon family and assisting them with realizing their rights as victims of terror: “We welcome the ruling and believe that decisive deterrence factors will save lives and prevent many Israelis from becoming victims. It is very sad, even appalling, to see that there are justices sitting on an Israeli court who consider the lives of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers to be inferior to any other value.”