Three Jewish suspects in murder of Arab teen confess to crime

Suspects reenact murder as Prime Minister Netanyahu calls father of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, denouncing the murder.

Attila Somfalvi, Omri Efraim, Itay Blumental, YNET

Three of the six suspects confressed to the murder of Mohammad Abu Khdeir from Shuafat and reenacted it in the area his body was dumped in the forest outside Jerusalem on Monday.

The mother of one of the six suspects, whose son may or may not be one of the three to confess, told Ynet: “We’re shattered and this thing is very difficult for us. My son has nothing to do with this and he will go free. This is crazy because he’s only 16.”

Six suspects in the murder of the 16-year-old from Shuafat were arrested on Sunday morning. The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court extended the remand of five of the six suspected in the kidnapping and murder of Abu Khdeir in eight days, despite the fact police sought a 15-days extension. The remand of the sixth suspect was extended in five days.

The suspects were barred from meeting their attorneys during the remand extension hearings.

Attorney Benzi Kebler, two of the suspects’ lawyer, said: “It’s a grave decision that there’s a warrant preventing me from meeting my clients. The warrant constitutes a critical blow to principles of justice that every civilized country should lean on. It can’t be that suspects, particularly youths and teens, are prevented from meeting their attorney.”

Footage from security camera allegedly showing kidnappers of Mohammad Abu Khdeir.
Footage from security camera allegedly showing kidnappers of Mohammad Abu Khdeir.

In the days following the murder, police investigated two different directions – criminal and national – using two different investigation teams. Progress was made in the investigation after the vehicle the perpetrators used and the link found to another kidnapping attempt of a 9-year-old Palestinian boy in Beit Hanina the previous day.

The six are suspected of being members of a terror organizations, memberships in an forbidden organization, abduction for the sake of murder, the murder of a minor, conspiring to commit a crime, possession of weapons and ammunition and committing a crime motivated by racism. One of them confessed and implicated the others.

Abu Khdeir was murdered early Wednesday morning, several hours after the funeral of the three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped and killed on June 12 – Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel.

His burnt body was found in the woods outside Jerusalem. The Palestinian attorney-general said the autopsy showed that the teen was burned alive. Saber Al-Aloul, the director of the Palestinian forensic institute, attended the autopsy which was carried out by Israeli doctors in Tel Aviv.

Violent riots broke out following the teen’s murder in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Shuafat.

‘We don’t want Abu Mazen or Bibi here’

Jerusalem municipality teams started cleaning the street where the Abu Khdeir family resides in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, and taking down the Palestinian flags that were put up, following recent rioting.

Raniya, Mohammad’s aunt, told Ynet that “they must be cleaning because people from the government want to come visit. We don’t want anyone to come. Not Abbas and not Netanyahu. No one defended us.”

She criticized the Israeli government and police, “all of this talk brought to Mohammad’s murder. The government didn’t help us and the police knew a day before he was kidnapped that there are Jews trying to abduct Arabs.”

As rioting continued across the country following Abu Khdeir’s murder, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Mohammad’s father, Hussein Abu Khdeir, on Monday morning.

“I would like to express my outrage and that of the citizens of Israel over the reprehensible murder of your son,” Netanyahu told the father.

“We acted immediately to apprehend the murderers. We will bring them to trial and they will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,” the prime minister promised.

“We denounce all brutal behavior; the murder of your son is abhorrent and cannot be countenanced by any human being,” he added.

Following his conversation with the prime minister, Hussein said: “The Israeli government’s problem is that it’s not doing anything because of your extreme right wing, it was all the territories. You can’t go on like that. To anyone who spoke to me I said I wanted justice, for their homes to be destroyed, just like they destroyed the homes in Hebron (for the suspects in the murder of the three Israeli teens) even though they didn’t confess.”

Hussein said he was willing to have Israeli ministers in his mourners tent, “except right-wing ministers. Those I won’t have.”

Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat and members of Neturei Karta visited the mourner’s tent at the Abu Khdeir family home.

“We can to join in the family’s grief. I accuse Zionism in all of the murders so far. We demand the Zionist regime leaves Palestine, and for the territories to move to full Palestinian control, with Jerusalem as their capital,” one of the Neturei Karta representatives said.

July 7, 2014 | 31 Comments »

Leave a Reply

31 Comments / 31 Comments

  1. @ honeybee:

    “Sometimes the point at which somebody quits an exchange reflects nothing more than a conclusion that to persist further is a waste of effort (to say nothing of time). You’ll note that when I said I’d no idea what you were saying, that I followed it with, “I wonder if you do.”

    “Pooor you, but still you respond.”

    Common courtesy. (Quaint concept, I know.)

  2. dweller Said:

    Sometimes the point at which somebody quits an exchange reflects nothing more than a conclusion that to persist further is a waste of effort (to say nothing of time). You’ll note that when I said I’d no idea what you were saying, that I followed it with, “I wonder if you do

    Pooor you, but still you respond.

  3. @ honeybee:

    “At this point, I’ve no IDEA what you were saying.”

    “Ah Haaaa, out witted you, Sweetie !”

    You confuse wit with perversity.

    Sometimes the point at which somebody quits an exchange reflects nothing more than a conclusion that to persist further is a waste of effort (to say nothing of time). You’ll note that when I said I’d no idea what you were saying, that I followed it with, “I wonder if you do.”

  5. @ honeybee:

    “Got a cite for that?”

    “YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO GOOGLE ?”

    “If there’s nothing out there, then nothing’s gonna show up in a [Google] search.”

    “Exactly what I was saying.”

    At this point, I’ve no IDEA what you were saying.

    (I wonder if you do.)

  7. @ honeybee:

    “Got a cite for that?”

    “YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO GOOGLE ?”

    “I had googled it; came up with nothing. That was WHY I posted the request.”

    “Limp googler ?”

    If there’s nothing out there, then nothing’s gonna show up in a search. That’s why I asked for a cite.

  9. @ honeybee:

    “The courts allow it.”

    “Hard to believe. Got a cite for that?”

    “YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO GOOGLE ?”

    I had googled it; came up with nothing.

    — That was WHY I posted the request.

  11. @ yamit82:

    “If the confessions were obtained in the absence of legal counsel, are such ‘confessions’ even admissible in court?”

    “Is that Israeli law?”

    “The courts allow it.”

    Hard to believe. Got a cite for that?

  14. dweller Said:

    If the confessions were obtained in the absence of legal counsel, are such ‘confessions’ even admissible in court

    Is that Israeli law?????????

  15. @ honeybee:

    “How can the govt square this?”

    “Perhaps the entire ‘story’ is a fabrication, in order to make Israel seem as guilty as the Arabs. Burning people alive is not Jewish. Your guess on the motivation is as good as mine.”

    A fabricated story is certainly the first thing that naturally comes to mind. And the matter of the govt’s motive is surely relevant.

    However, my question [above] was NOT about the govt’s actual motive OR its game plan

    — but rather, how it EXPLAINS itself to the citizenry, how it publically justifies denying the ‘suspects’ access to their lawyer.

    ANOTHER question which comes to mind:
    If the confessions were obtained in the absence of legal counsel, are such ‘confessions’ even admissible in court?

  20. honeybee Said:

    You are allowing a female [ Dagmar] to destroy your life.

    Naw but this might: and never miss our top stories
    19:55
    2 rockets intercepted over Dimona

    Two missiles are downed by the Iron Dome over the southern city of Dimona, moments after the sirens in the city and in nearby Yeruham sound.

    Getting interesting here now. 🙂

  23. dweller Said:

    — How can the govt square this?

    Perhaps the entire “story” is a fabrication, in order to make Israel seem as guilty as the Arabs. Burning people alive is not Jewish. Your guess on the motivation is as good as mine.

  25. yamit82 Said:

    I agree. But They should be freed the next time the Israeli government releases Palis murderers to exchange for Jews dead or alive.

    yamit82 Said:

    Does something stink here?????

    Ya took de woyrds right out my mouth. Sugar

  26. @ beniyyar:

    Seems strange that they claim the day before there was an attempt to kidnap the brother of the dead Arab. Same family??? How odd!!! Then his cousin with American citizenship is beaten by police and gets International coverage. Coincidence???

    Does something stink here?????

  27. diana Said:

    If any of them is guilty they should be send to jail and never get out.

    I agree. But They should be freed the next time the Israeli government releases Palis murderers to exchange for Jews dead or alive.

  28. If any of them is guilty they should be send to jail and never get out. I am pro-Israel-Jewish,Zionist and not a lefty.A crime is a crime and should be severely punished.

  29. These suspects in the killing of the Arab homosexual were coerced by the security forces into confessing to a crime they very likely did not commit. These kids were denied any access to their lawyers, probably threatened with all sorts of terrible punishments which would also include their families, and perhaps even physically abused with sleep deprivation, lack of water,and lack of access to toilets. The government obviously wanted to arrest anyone as soon as possible to help calm the Arab “street” mobs and this group of kids was as good as any. Sure this is sickening but given the Left wing bias and anti Jewish and anti Israel prejudice in the security and legal institutions here in Israel, it is sadly not surprising.

  30. “The suspects were barred from meeting their attorneys during the remand extension hearings. Attorney Benzi Kebler, two of the suspects’ lawyer, said: ‘It’s a grave decision that there’s a warrant preventing me from meeting my clients. The warrant constitutes a critical blow to principles of justice that every civilized country should lean on. It can’t be that suspects, particularly youths and teens, are prevented from meeting their attorney’.”

    This is very disturbing.

    — How can the govt square this?

  31. Regardless of the motive of the murder (whether honor crime or else) and regardless of who committed the same, the question which arises is regarding the way things are done by Israel when they are for the advantage of Arabs and to the detriment of Jews.

    First of all, instead of categorically refuting the accusation from the very beginning of this affair, Netanyahu and his government pointed their fingers, beyond any doubt, directly towards Jews without any evidence, thereby conducting and leading to the barking and threatening by all the international community.

    Secondly, who knows how these alleged confessions have been obtained if not through coercion and terror after hours of torture. In addition, the suspects – which include at least a child – do not have the right of having an attorney present, in blatant violation of a fundamental right of any suspect worldwide.

    As usual, Israel enforces laws according to a double standard depending on whether one is a Jew or an Arab.

    What about the thousands of missiles sent towards Sderot, Beercheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod? Aren’t they attempts to burn Jews alive?

    What about the hundred of molotov cocktails thrown towards Jews or towards Jewish homes? Aren’t they attempts to burn Jews alive?

    What about the hundred of rocks attacks on the roads? Aren’t they attempts to kill Jews alive?

    If Israel was indeed what it was meant to be – an authentic Jewish State and certainly not, a mere state for Jews – if it was ruled and governed in accordance with laws and justice, everyone would had gone home in their respective native country, and none of these calamities would have happened.