22 years after the murders of Rabbi Binyamin Kahane and his wife Talia, the Israel Prisons Service early release board is considering granting an early release to the murderer, Naji Abu Khamid, after Abu Khamid requested a hearing claiming ill health.
The terrorist was convicted not only of the murders of the Kahanes but also of a string of other offenses including the murder of Gadi Rejuan, who was killed in the Atarot industrial zone. Abu Khamid was sentenced to seven life sentences and a further 50 years behind bars.
The families of the victims were only very recently informed of the date of the hearing and both the son of Rabbi Kahane and the daughter of Gadi Rejuan have appealed to have the hearing postponed. Kahane and Rejuan are being represented by attorneys Ofir Steiner and Haim Bleicher of the Honenu organization, who are also demanding that their clients be permitted to make statements at the hearing against the early release of the man who murdered their parents.
Following their request, the Prisons Service agreed to postpone the hearing which would otherwise have taken place next Sunday and will set a new date for the convenience of the families.
In their appeal to the early release board, the families note that the murderer committed many violent attacks and murders, all for nationalistic and racist motivations. They also note that the court, when sentencing him, viewed his crimes as especially grave and shocking, finding that, "There is no dissent on the view that the accused committed the most heinous of crimes - murder - and not just once but many times."
The families also stressed that the murderer sought to take as many lives as he could and that he also commanded others and ordered them to commit additional crimes for which he bears a great deal of responsibility. The sentencing court added that the terrorist's place was clearly behind bars in order to prevent him from committing more crimes in the future, and that this was the reason for his seven consecutive life sentences.
Upon hearing of the decision to consider early release, the families released a statement saying: "This announcement took us all back to those dark days. The idea that the murderer could be granted early release from prison is absolutely horrific."
Rabbi Binyamin and Talia Kahane were murdered in 2000, near the community of Ofra. They had been traveling in their car along with their six children and were on their way to their home in Tapuach, when a terrorist - Abu Khamid - opened fire on their car, killing the couple and injuring five of their children. "Given the seriousness of this case, it never occurred to us that the State would hasten to act [toward early release] or that it would fail to be attentive to the feelings of the families whose lives were completely upended as a result of the terrible deeds of the murderer," the families stated.
"It is regrettable that there are those who are considering showing mercy to a mass murderer and giving him unearned respect prior to his death," noted attorney Bleicher. "We stand together with the bereaved families, the children orphaned of their parents, and stress that showing mercy to a despicable terrorist such as this serves only to encourage future terrorists. Terrorist murderers should end their lives behind prison bars and should not be granted early release."
Attorney Steiner added, "These families, who lost their loved ones in murderous acts that were planned and coordinated in advance, are horrified to learn of the intention of the early release board to consider granting early release to this murderer. The court, when sentencing him, found it proper to hand down seven life sentences as well as an additional fifty years, due to the necessity of keeping this person away from society. It is hard to understand how this terrorist's request could even be considered in face of the suffering of the widows and orphans, aside from the influence such a development will have on deterrence of future terrorist crimes. We will use all the powers at our disposal to prevent the release of this terrorist who does not deserve to ever experience another taste of freedom."
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