Terrorist exonerated from murder

Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 12:10 On Wednesday, October 31, the Military Court in Yehuda exonerated a terrorist, Mamdouh Yusaf Amro, from the murder of Major (Res.) Eliav Gelman and convicted him of manslaughter. The court justified the exoneration by reasoning that it was not possible to determine that the terrorist arrived at the scene with the specific intent to murder and therefore it is not possible to establish the emotional foundation necessary to convict the suspect of intent to cause death, the crime of murder according to military law.
On February 24, 2016, the terrorist, Mamdouh Yusaf Amro age 26, a resident of Dura in the Har Hevron region arrived at the scene of the attack and walked towards the hitch-hiking stop at the the Etzion Bloc Junction. After arousing the suspicions of the soldiers at the junction, he started to run and waved a knife. Gelman and several civilians were waiting at the hitch-hiking stop. Gelman drew his pistol and charged the terrorist. Unfortunately Gelman was injured by “friendly fire” and tragically died of his wounds. The court ruled that the terrorist is culpable of Gelman’s death, because the shot was fired as a result of his actions.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is assisting the family in realizing their rights as victims of terror, strongly criticized the decision: “The search for an emotional basis for the terrorist’s actions when it is obvious that the terrorist is part of the terror destroying Israelis is incomprehensible and unacceptable. The goal of the terrorist was to murder and unfortunately he succeeded in attaining that result. We call on the prosecution to appeal the verdict so that the terrorist will receive his due penalty.”
Gelman’s family demands the death penalty for the terrorist as a matter of national importance: “We demand the death penalty for the terrorist. The matter of the death penalty for the terrorist is a national, public matter for the sake of Israel. Every terrorist must know what the verdict will be if he harms a Jew.”
Tweet from Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, translation by Honenu: “I reason exactly as the Military Advocate General and the President of the Military Court did. A terrorist who runs with a knife with the goal of murdering soldiers and civilians must be convicted of murder. Clear and simple. There is no other logic and I am certain that in the end this is what will be.”