Scene of the attack
Israel returns terrorist's body months after attack
Terrorist who committed a shooting attack on a Jerusalem bus and was killed during the attack was returned to his family and buried, despite the strong opposition of defense minister.
After months of negotiations, Israeli authorities handed over the body of the terrorist who committed a shooting attack on a bus in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot in March despite firm opposition to the move by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Muhammad al-Kalouti, 21, was buried in a small ceremony heavily guarded by police at the Bab al-Zahra cemetery in Jerusalem last night. Al-Kalouti had been killed by security forces while perpetrating the attack.
Eliminating the terrorist (צילום: דובר המשטרה)
The Israeli government often holds the bodies of terrorists both as a deterrent against future attacks and because funerals in the past have turned into massive demonstrations of incitement. Officials only returned Al-Kalouti’s body after the family deposited NIS 20,000 in collateral with the police and pledged not to have more than 30 people at the ceremony.
The terrorists' vehicle at the scene of the attack (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
Lieberman is a firm proponent of withholding the bodies of terrorists from their families, but Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit ruled that the move did not have legal justification and ordered the body released. The Supreme Court has also demanded answers from the government as to why terrorists’ bodies have not been handed over after it ruled on the issue in July.
The defense minister criticized Mandelblit’s decision yesterday, telling reporters that “the role of the attorney general is to be an advisor, not a judge.”
Lieberman’s predecessor Moshe Ya'alon had opposed withholding the bodies of terrorists from their families and had argued that the policy only provoked more attacks.
Article reprinted with permission from TPS .
