A day after Israeli security forces captured the terrorist cell responsible for Rabbi Raziel Shevach's murder and left at least one terrorist dead, his widow, Yael, stressed that she sought no revenge on the murderers.
Shevach was murdered in a terrorist attack on Jan. 9 outside of the Samarian outpost Havat Gilad, where he lived with his wife and six children.
On Friday, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli security forces had arrested four more Palestinian suspects in connection with Shevach's murder, in addition to those arrested in Jenin in Wednesday night's raid.
The suspects were arrested before dawn Friday during a raid on the Palestinian town of al-Yamoun.
In the raid, Israeli troops seized a number of mobile phones and surveillance cameras. Wafa named the suspects as Yahya Nu'man Abul Haija, Mustafa Karam and brothers Jihad and Abdel Qader.
Shevach's family congratulated the security forces for their success in apprehending the terror cell and voiced relief at the conclusion of the operation in Jenin.
On Thursday morning, after hearing of the arrests, Shevach's widow, Yael, said, "I commend the security forces for catching the terrorists, and, above all, I want to wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded. May they return home safely. I am glad that we can restore a little bit of our sense of security in the area, but beyond that, this operation has very little meaning for me. I am not seeking revenge against the terrorists. This event is not a private event that happened to me, it is a national event."
Addressing the illegal outpost status of Havat Gilad, she said, "For me, true retribution would be to settle the land and to settle Havat Gilad as a legal community, like any other community. I want to take this opportunity to call on the prime minister, this coming Sunday, to approve the defense minister's decision and advance this issue, so that we can get final approval."
Shevach's mother, Ilana, told Israel Hayom, "When I heard they sent a large force to Jenin, I was very excited and stressed. I feared for our soldiers. We sat up all night, read the reports and watched clips on the internet. I was excited but I was also worried that it [the operation] would end in tragedy. No terrorist is worth sacrificing a single soul from Israel."
After the operation concluded, she said she felt pride.
"Our military, Shin Bet [security agency] and police are strong. During the shiva [the seven-day mourning period] they came and gave us strength, assured us that that they would get their hands on the terrorists and asked us to allow them to act secretly. I believed in them with all my heart. They worked around the clock to catch them [the terrorists] and the result was very good," she said.
"This will not bring my son back. A tragedy is a tragedy, but the result is good. I was pained to hear that these terrorists were children of families that also engaged in terrorism, and I hope that this family won't produce any more terrorists."
Despite the stormy weather across the country , Shevach's parents drove to the hospital where the Israel Police Counterterrorism Unit [Yamam] forces injured in the Jenin raid received treatment.
"We drove to thank them and give them strength in the name of Raziel [Shevach] for doing their all to catch the terrorists," Ilana said. "I hope they are the last ones to be hurt before security is fully restored. I still have a daughter-in-law and grandchildren in Havat Gilad, and I am worried and want them to live safely in the Land of Israel."
Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, also called for Havat Gilad's status to be resolved.
"We congratulate the security forces and the Yamam for their resolute action to capture the terrorists. We find consolation in building the country," he said.
