Rabbi Moshe Talbi - four bullet casings equal suicide?
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Rabbi's family insists: He was murdered
Moshe Talbi found shot in head near Revava settlement last month. Police say he took his own life, family claims it was an act of terror. Relatives appeal to minister, police chief for in-depth probe
The family of Rabbi Moshe Talbi, whose bullet-riddled body was found near the Revava settlement in Samaria ten days ago, has appealed to Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen in an attempt to prove that he was murdered in an act of terrorism and did not commit suicide as determined by Israeli police.
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Rabbi Talbi, 54, father of seven and grandfather of four, from Moshav Haspin in the Golan Heights was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head near the gates of the Revava settlement on March 23. He was found near his car, the engine still running, with his gun at his side.
After an initial investigation, police forensic units who arrived at the scene determined that this was a case of suicide. Meanwhile, the Talbi family is convinced that Moshe was murdered by terrorists.
As part of their efforts to prove their claims, last Thursday the family sent a letter to the Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen and the local police chiefs. In the letter the family presented evidence which it believes proves that Talbi didn't commit suicide and that the police are tied to an erroneous perception of the case, ignoring findings and have not investigated the case in earnest.
Among other things, the family claims that bruises were found on the deceased's face and knees, which show that violence was used against him.
'He had no enemies'
Moreover, in the letter they note that on the day of his death he had given his son a lift from Haspin to Ariel and made plans to pick him up again in the evening after school. "Just 20 minutes before the murder he told his son he was going to Revava, where his daughter lives to surprise her and visit her and his granddaughter," they wrote.
The letter also details that "the deceased was a respected and likeable figure in his community; he had no enemies and no business or debt to trouble him. It indicates a man who was in the midst of a routine day in his life, between dropping his son off at school and visiting his daughter."
The family fails to understand the police's refusal to share the details of the investigation and the forensic report from the murder scene and claim that from a picture of the body taken immediately when the body was found it is easy to discern that Moshe's own weapon was placed on his left side while he was shot from his right side.
They also claim that four bullet casings fired from his gun were found at the scene along with another bullet.
At the family's request, Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika also appealed to local police chiefs and demanded that a special investigatory team be established to investigate the case. He also asked that the police present the family with the complete investigation file and the forensic data from the scene.
The Shai District police stated in response that "the case file and the circumstances surrounding the incident were still in the stages of investigation. Notwithstanding, based on the forensic findings from the scene a case for suicide is taking shape."
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