Missing soldier's parents want Farkhan claims examined

Parents of Majdi Halabi, who went missing five years ago, demand police investigate claims by Dana Bennett's murderer saying he has information on son's whereabouts

Ahiya Raved|Published: 07.26.10 , 15:39

The parents of missing soldier Majdi Halabi who disappeared over five years ago called a press conference on Monday and demanded the police investigate claims made by convicted murderer Yihya Farkhan in an interview over the weekend in which he said he has information on their son's whereabouts and on the murder of Shimon Farjoun, a Postal Bank branch manager from Safed who was shot dead during a robbery in 2007.

In a statement to the press, the soldier's father Nazmi Halabi said, "For five years now we have been holding on to every trace of information on our son's fate. And in this case, we demand the police and the Shin Bet investigate the information – regardless of its origin. I am aware that this is a manipulative man, who is willing to do anything to escape punishment. It is not certain that he is telling the truth, but the matter should be investigated in depth in any case."

The father explained that Farkhan's remarks support the family's suspicion that their son was kidnapped by hostile elements. "He (Farkhan) may have received information from someone else, since he spent so much time in prison. We are willing to take any crumb. The information must not be scorned at," the father said.

The soldier's mother, Fahmiya Halabi said, "The whole time I've had the feeling and hoped that Majdi was still alive. This is what keeps me going. We keep waiting and praying for any information. It gets harder every day. I ask anyone who has even the smallest detail, to call us and let us know."

According to the mother, dealing with her son's disappearance has only gotten more difficult over the years. "The longing only grows by the day. I always leave Majdi a key so he can come in. In the morning I check his bed, hoping he may have come home over night. If he could only come back just for a few minutes, I just want to see him for a minute and hear his voice again."

A new inquiry team has recently been working to investigate Halabi's disappearance. The team is headed by Superintendent Tamir Arad, who coincidentally headed the investigation into the murder of Dana Bennett.

Northern District Police Spokesman Chief Superintendant Yehuda Maman said the police are in constant contact with the Halabi family and that his men were "investigating and will continue to investigate any lead that may solve the mystery."

However, police sources noted that in his past interrogations Farkhan had claimed to have information on several affairs that have remained a mystery, but all his claims have proven to be false. The police also stressed that Farkhan had demanded his punishment be revoked in exchange for the information.