Nationalist motive revealed in Dadon murder
Owner of taxi rented by suspect testifies the two discussed the murder; defendant allegedly said it was response to Israel 'murdering children.'
The trial for the murder of Shelly Dadon continued its evidentiary phase on Thursday. Mohammed Aasaf, owner of the taxi rented by the defendant, Hussein Khalifa, testified in court at Nazareth's District Court, claiming that he had heard Khalifa justify the crime based on the "infanticide" committed by the State of Israel.
For the first time since the murder occurred in the beginning of May, the court heard testimony that pointed to a nationalist motive. Police had claimed during their investigation that the motive was unclear, as opposed to the Shin Bet's stance. However, the state did recognize Dadon as a victim of terror.
The second day's proceedings opened with Aasaf testifying that a few days after the murder, the defendant approached him about the incident. "It was in the office in the morning," said the taxi's owner. "He asked me if I had heard about a murder case and I asked him what he was talking about. He replied that he meant the murdered girl and asked what I had heard."
Prosecutor Ilana Yerushalmi proceeded to question the taxi's owner about that conversation, and the witness described how Khalifa referred to the murder.
"I think that whoever murdered her was a man," Khalifa told Aasaf, according to testimony. The witness told the court that he expressed disapproval to Khalifa and that it pained him that a girl had been killed.
The turn in his testimony occurred later, when Aasaf said that there was a lull in the conversation, at which point he asked why he thought a man had committed the murder. Khalifa responded "because they (Israelis) murder small children."
According to the witness, it was no secret that many Arab-Israelis supported terror attacks, but he claimed that this did not mean that they were ready to kill or would do so themselves. The presiding judge, Deputy Chief Judge Tawfic Kteily, asked the witness what the defendant meant when he spoke, and he responded: "I don't know and I didn't ask. I don't want to guess."
During the discussion, Khalifa interrupted the testimony several times and called the witness a liar. Later on, he insisted to reporters that he did not have the alleged conversation with the witness, and that he did not understand why Aasaf was inventing things.
The taxi's owner later testified that the defendant customarily kept a weapon in his vehicle for self-defense. He noted that in one instance, when taking the taxi for a test drive, he noticed a piece of metal that looked to him like a screwdriver.
Another time, there was a sharp object that looked like a knife with a smooth handle. "I asked him what it was, and he said that it was for self-protection," the witness said. "Lots of taxi drivers do that, especially ones who frequently drive at night."
The witness owns about 15 taxis and rents them out for long periods. He testified that the taxis are with the drivers all day long, and that switching drivers is forbidden because the insurance is under the name of the renter. However, he confirmed that the defendant defrauded him and allowed his brother to drive the car.
During the cross-examination given by Khalifa's attorney, Mr. Alaa Suleiman, the witness confirmed that "there is no precise record of the driver on the day of the murder, but the taxi with the relevant license plate was definitely, without a doubt, in the custody of Mr. Hussein Khalifa. It's impossible for a driver to get in one car today and a different one tomorrow. The car is linked to the driver. If he takes the car to the garage, re receives a replacement." Aasaf was at one point himself a suspect and was even detained for a few weeks.
At the beginning of Thursday morning's proceedings, as in proceedings earlier in the week, another incident occurred between the defendant's family and that of Dadon. According to the victim's relatives, the defendant's brother entered the hall, and made a slaughtering gesture towards them. They intend to file a complaint with the police.
