TEL AVIV - Terror victims’ families are infuriated with IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon over his proposal to release Palestinian murderers as a goodwill gesture.
Among the outraged families are relatives of teenager Helena Rapp, murdered by a Palestinian near Tel Aviv in 1992.
“If my daughter’s murderer goes free, I’ll avenge and murder him,” the girl’s father Ze’ev Rapp told Ynet.
Yaalon’s proposal was raised during a political-security steering committee meeting. Meanwhile, Palestinian Minister Saeb Erekat said the Palestinians insist that Israel release terrorists sentenced prior to the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accord.
Rapp says he was shocked to see newspaper reports indicating the army chief would consider releasing Palestinian terrorists with “blood on their hands.”
“According to the Chief-of-Staff, those with pre-Oslo blood on their hands are ‘kosher’ for release, so they can butcher us again later,” he said.
Helena Rapp’s killer, who is 31 today, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1992.
“My daughter’s murderer should be in jail for the rest of his life,” Ze'ev Rapp said. “If they want to ruin families, they should dare to release him and others like him.”
'Yaalon should be ashamed'
Bereaved parents would take matters into their own hands and physically hurt terrorist murderers should they be released, he said.
“My daughter went to school and was butchered like a chicken, and I have no veto power on anything?” Rapp said. “I will go and murder too, I have nothing to lose anymore.”
Army Chief Yaalon should be ashamed of even raising the possibility of releasing terror killers, he said, and added that he plans to meet with him to discuss the matter.
“First, I will attempt to be a law-abiding citizen,” he said. “If the State doesn’t abide by the law, I won’t uphold it either.”
Singer Ruchama Raz, whose sister Miriam was murdered by a terrorist in a 1989 bus attack, says she was also stunned to hear Yaalon’s words.
“It sounds shocking,” she said. “No murderer should be released.”
Raz admits she lacks objectivity on the matter, but adds she believes anyone else would agree with her view.
“I’m all for peace, but how much can you bend?” she says. “I unequivocally object to this.”
Earlier this week, the government decided to release 900 Palestinian prisoners ,but none with blood on their hands.