Terrorist buried week after Jerusalem yeshiva attack
Police hand Alaa Abu Dheim's body to his family one week after east Jerusalem resident kills eight students at Mercaz Harav yeshiva. Transfer of body was delayed for fear family would turn funeral into mass demonstration
The transfer of the body was delayed for fear that the terrorist's family would turn his funeral into a mass demonstration.
The police were planning to hand the body to the family at the beginning of this week, after reaching an agreement with the family that the funeral would be peaceful and would not be covered by the media.
However, the police refrained from transferring the body until Wednesday night, claiming that the family did not meet the demands. Police officials stressed that the body would only be handed to the family when it meets the demands.
The police eventually transferred the body, and Alaa Abu Dheim was buried at the presence of a small number of people. No unusual incidents were recorded during the funeral.
A week after the deadly terror attack in the capital, the political and legal arenas continue to engage in the question whether the terrorist's house should be destroyed. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that he supported the demolition of the house, and Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter issued an order for its demolition.
However, Colonel (res.) Ilan Katz, the former deputy chief military prosecutor, told Ynet that "there would be a legal difficulty in destroying the house, due to a decision made by a military committee in 2005 that the effectiveness of the deterrence in such cases has worn out."
