The letter from
Honenu Atty. Bleicher
Thursday, September 10, 2020, 9:45 The family of Rabbi Shai Ohayon, Hy”d, addressed the GOC of the Central Command, Major-General Tamir Yadai, with a demand to destroy the house of the terrorist, confiscate his land, the land owned by his family, and more. The purpose of the request is to deter potential terrorists from murdering more Jews.
On August 26, Rabbi Ohayon, who is survived by a widow and four orphans, was murdered in a stabbing attack at the Segula Junction in Petah Tikva on his way home from the K’far Saba kollel in which he learned. The terrorist, Khalil Abed Alhalaq Mahmed Duikat, a Kafr Rujib resident in his late 40s, was detained in a chase after the attack.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the family, sent the letter to Major-General Yadai, writing: “Unfortunately the contemptible terrorist Khalil Duikat from Kafr Rujib, near Shechem, remained alive and yesterday was indicted for murder. The murder is one of many acts of terror against Israeli citizens, whose only ‘fault’ was the natural desire to live as Jews in the Land of Israel.
“As is well known, the current criminal proceedings and penalization are insufficient to deter or eradicate terror. The deceased, who had been an exemplary figure during his life, will be sorely missed by his widow and four orphans, his siblings and his mother. The family has joined the ranks of bereaved families, who form a living defense of the right to our nation here in the Land of Israel.”
Bleicher further wrote that creating a decisive deterrence will be a slight consolation to the family, if due to their situation an additional murder of Jews is prevented. The family has demanded that all possible steps for deterrence be taken, including “demolishing the terrorist’s house and confiscating his land and his family’s land,” which must be done immediately in order to increase the effectiveness of the deterrence factor.
Hagit Yudkovitz, Rabbi Ohayon’s sister, stated in the name of the family: “The Israeli government is responsible for the security of all citizens of the State of Israel. A faltering policy led to the murder of my brother, Rabbi Shai Ohayon, and left a widow and four young orphans and all of us feeling a losss and a pain that has no consolation. Demolition of terrorists’ houses must be a permanent and clear policy. We understand that demolition of terrorists’ houses will not completely prevent the desire of our enemies to harm us. However, every contemptible terrorist should know that if he comes to injure or murder Jews, his house will be completely demolished and by no means and in no form will any funds come to him or his family.
“We believe that through this action the next attack which would result in widows and orphans will be prevented. Therefore we demand that the Israeli government and the IDF completely demolish the terrorist’s house, prevent him from receiving funds and benefits, and set this as a permanent and correct policy for the sake of the security of all of Israel.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing the family: “The security forces are fighting a constant, decisive battle to thwart terror. However without a deterrence factor terror will continue to take lives. Israeli lives take precedence over the well-being of the terrorists and their surrounding society.”
Rabbi Ohayon’s family: “Our family paid the highest price possible for the longstanding powerlessness of our State’s treatment of terror. We demand the most stringent penalization in order to create a deterrence factor that will prevent more children from becoming orphans. We demand that the court use all of the means within their power to hand down a just ruling. Justice must be done, and moreover seen, so that all will see and beware.”