Farmer who killed burglar acquitted of manslaughter
Beersheba court finds Shai Dromi not guilty of killing Bedouin who broke into his farm two years ago; convicts him of weapon charges. 'Dromi felt his life was in danger which led him to fire the shots,' says ruling. MK Tibi: Life of Arab worthless in eyes of law
Dromin, a Negev farmer who shot and killed a Bedouin burglar who broke into his farm two years ago, was, however, convicted of weapon charges.
The police arrested Dromi, charging him with manslaughter. As his trial opened, hundreds of residents of kibbutzim and moshavim, along with several Knesset members, held a rally in his support, chanting "we are all Shai Dromi."
Dromi appealed his arrest in a move which eventually led to the legislation of the Dromi Law, which allows homeowners and landowners to shoot intruders without fear of prosecution.
The honorable Joshua A. Pilpel and Rachel Barkai voted in favor of acquitting Dromi, while Judge Ariel Vago objected.
"The circumstances were forced on Dromi, who only sought to keep the burglar away, against his will," said the ruling. Justice Pilpel added the Dromi had fired his weapons fearing his life was in danger.
According to the judge, in the years prior to the incident Dromi had suffered a series of harassments, for which he filed 15 police complaints.
Justice Vago, who voted against an acquittal wrote: "I have no doubt that the shots were not fired with intent to kill. This is a harsh incident in which Dromi stood angry and frustrated on the backdrop of ongoing damage, feeling that law enforcement authorities were incapable of protecting him.
"Dromi is the salt of the earth, but the sanctity of life is a basic value. Dromi fired five shots which hit their target, knowing that short-range fire can lead to the victim's death," he said.
'Court sucked in by racist atmosphere'
The decision to acquit Dromi sparked a wave of responses in the political system. Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) called the farmer to congratulate him, while Arab Knesset members criticized the ruling.
MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) referred to Dromi's acquittal as "a stigma on the Israeli legal system."
According to Tibi, "The life of an Arab, even if he was shot in the back, is worthless in the eyes of the law. Dromi's has the blood of this man on his hands… the Judges too are afflicted by prejudice."
Tibi's fellow party member MK Taleb El-Sana said, "The court buckled to the racist atmosphere and acquitted a murderer, thus giving a green light to being trigger happy."
He added that "the court was sucked into the racist and rabid street. Today's ruling will cause irreversible damage, and I have no doubt that if the shooter was Arab, the result would have been different. I hope the Supreme Court intervenes and saves the dignity of the legal system."
MK Yuli Tamir (Labor) also criticized the decisions, saying that "Dromi's acquittal turns the State of Israel into the Wild West. I have a bad feeling that the verdict was related to the fact that the person killed was a Bedouin."
On the other hand, Minister Katz said that the acquittal "matches the spirit of the Dromi Law which I initiated, and allows a person to defend himself against burglars without standing trial."
MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) called on the justice minister to hold a thorough examination inside the State Prosecutor's Office for this delay of justice against a Jew who upheld his duty to defend his life and property."
MK Danny Dannon (Likud) said that "the court acted in accordance with the new law. Law breakers in the south should understand that the law in the State of Israel backs honest citizens who only wish to protect their property."
MK Israel Hasson (Kadima), who arrived at the Beersheba court, said that "the verdict was balanced and took into account the complexity of the situation. It provides a response to the necessary sense of natural justice."
Sharon Roffe-Ofir, Amnon Meranda and Roni Sofer contributed to this report
