An IDF Military Court in Ofer has sentenced the terrorist who murdered three members of the Salomon family in the settlement Halamish this past July to four life sentences and monetary compensation to the family.
Omar al-Abed was convicted six weeks ago of three counts of murder for stabbing Yosef, 70, Elad, 36, and Chaya Salomon, 46, to death in the family's home, as well as attempted murder for stabbing Elad and Chaya's mother, Tova, 68, who survived the attack.
One of the judges on the panel, Lt. Col. Dov Gilboa, wrote a minority opinion in which he said the terrorist should have been sentenced to death.
Israel abolished capital punishment for murder in 1954. The option of imposing capital punishment for acts of terrorism technically still exists under the law, but it has never been used.
"I looked at the face of the terrorist, which was plastered with a smile the entire time, even when facing the [Salomon] family, who described the murder. I have ruled that there is only one sentence for the defendant – death," Gilboa wrote.
After the court handed down the sentence, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman wrote on his Facebook and Twitter accounts: "Four life sentences have been handed down for the loathsome terrorist who killed the members of the Salomon family in Neveh Tzuf [Halamish] – the father, Yossi Salomon, his son Elad and daughter Chaya, and seriously wounded the mother, Tova. No number of life sentences will be enough to publish this beast, who still has a smile on his face. My heart hurts along with the Salmon family."
After Al-Abed was convicted, Lieberman wrote: "The death sentence is the only appropriate punishment for such a despicable crime. I call on the judges to display courage and sentence the terrorist to death. The murder of Jews will not go unpunished! There is no place for terrorists, not even in prison."
Following the Salomon family murders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also called for capital punishment for terrorists.
"It's time we pursued capital punishment for terrorists. It can be done under the law and the judges have to render a unanimous decision, but they also want to know where the government stands," Netanyahu said. "My position as prime minister is that, in a case like this, involving a heinous murderer, the death penalty should apply."
Before the conviction, members of the Salomon family testified before the court, sharing the difficulties of coping after the murder of Yosef, Elad, and Chaya, and asked that the court sentence the terrorist to death.
