It is now permitted to report that authorities on Wednesday, 7 Tishrei, police, undercover border police and ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) agents arrested two Arabs, suspects in the erev Rosh Hashanah attack which led to the deaths of Asher and Yonatan Pamer HY”D near Kiryat Arba. In a statement to the media, police officials report the two admitted to perpetrating the attack, throwing the large stone at Pamer’s vehicle from a passing vehicle, resulting in Asher losing control and crashing.

As a result of the interrogation of the suspects, three additional suspects were taken into custody, believed to have been on the scene after the fatal crash, taking the victim’s handgun.

IDF Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon and Etzion Battalion commander Colonel Yaniv Allalif visited the Pamer home to personally inform them of the situation, the apprehension of the suspects. Family members explain the news does not diminish their anguish, adding that the suspects will most likely be released in the next prisoner exchange deal anyway.

“One who takes a life has no right to continue living” stated Rabbi Meir Peretz, Asher’s father-in-law and Yonatan’s grandfather, a longtime resident of the Hebron community. He calls on the state to sentence the suspects to death and to invoke the death penalty in such cases. Rabbi Peretz went on to explain that this is what is done in a civil society, and this is what must be done here, in our country. “Even in the United States and Russia there is a death penalty for murderers towards deterring others. Here, they will sit in prison and encourage others to follow their actions, to abduct Israeli soldiers to use them to negotiate the release of terrorists. What are we doing here?”

The Defense Ministry has finally officially designated that fatal accident a ‘terror attack’, enabling the bereaved family to be recognized as such, and thereby receive benefits from state agencies.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)