Remand extended for Palestinian shot in burglary
Burglar undergoes surgery after being shot by home owner in botched home invasion; property crimes rise in Hefer Valley area, leading police to beef up their presence in effort to prevent more deadly incidents.
At about 9:30pm, police received a distress call from a home in Moshav Beit Yitzhak, which is near Netanya.
The homeowner heard noises and after going to investigate, discovered two men with tools in their hands had broken in. The man opened fire at the burglars, killing one and wounding another.
Gal Barami, a spokesman for the moshav, said, "I've known the family personally for many years, I grew up with them. He is a good man and very old. You can't judge; you're in a stressful situation when men break into your home. They could have threatened him or they could have attacked him."
When asked if shooting the burglars created deterrence, Barami said, "I'm sure people hear there was something that happened in Beit Yitzhak. If burglars hear about something like this happening, they'll think twice before coming to Beit Yitzhak. There's been a feeling here that something needs to happen, and it finally did. It's been like this for years now."
Barami noted the area has been subject to crime and that citizens suffer a lack of security. "It's a catastrophic situation. There is a serious security problem here. Not too long ago, someone was murdered in Moshav Avihayil, and there are home invasions and car thefts everyday here. They even tried to break into my house several times. I have an alarm, but they still tried nonetheless."
The area has been subject to a recent rash of property crimes, leading police to expand their presence in the area. Police claim the tactic has proved effective, with a 47 percent decrease in property crimes being logged over the past year.
"Significant police force has been deployed in the Hefer Valley area. The Israel Police will continue to hold dialogue with the heads of local authorities and residents, all in order to continue working toward a sense of personal security," police said in a statement Tuesday.
Home defense in Israel
In 2008, the Knesset passed the Dromi Law, which grants exemption from criminal liability to anyone who acted against a burglar who broke into their home. The law was named after Shai Dromi, who shot and killed a Bedouin burglar in self-defense.
According to the law, a person will not be held criminally liable "for an act that was immediately necessary to repel an intruder who entered a home, business or agricultural farm with the intent of committing a crime or attempting to."
However, the law does not apply if "the act was wholly unreasonable in the circumstances of the case in order to repel the intruder," or if "the person (property or homeowner) provokes entry anticipating the possibility of escalation."
