Eviatar Borovsky laid to rest
Thousands attend funeral of victim of Tapuach Junction terror attack; 'I am not sure I can keep my promise not to cry,' father says; Borovsky is survived by wife, five children
More than a 1000 people packed into the Kfar Hasidim cemetery to pay their last respects and take part in the funeral of Eviatar Borovsky, 31, who was stabbed to death by Salem Zaal, 24, from the village of Shucha near Tulkarem at the Tapuach Junction Tuesday.
His widow, Tzofia, cried and lamented: "He left five orphans." His father Baruch eulogized him, saying: "Rise up, ascend to the heavenly chair and ask God to be the last, tell him there can be no more of this. Enough". Borovsky, a resident of Yitzhar, is survived by a wife and five children.
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"I am not sure I can keep my promise not to cry," the bereaved father said while standing over the body of his son. "I cannot believe I am seeing him like this, without movement and life, it's not you. Eviatar, you are a truly righteous man. You are the saint of the blessings."
Borovsky's family at the funeral (Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv)
His mother Chaya said at the funeral: "They murdered your smile. Sometimes I think that I am in the theater and you were the lead character. I am still waiting for you to buy a car and come with your entire family to our house. Who will play with your kids now?"
'Ask to be the last'
Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel noted during his eulogy that the murderer, Salem Za'al, was released only six months ago from an Israeli jail.
"The people of Israel have neither the right nor the luxury to forget. We cannot release terrorists, not in this deal nor in another. There can be no mercy. We cannot forgive even one stone, for even one stone kills."
Za'al served three years in prison for throwing stones.
Funeral procession (Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv)
Head of the Shomron Regional Council, Gershon Mesika said: "The political echelon cannot wash its hands clean. The terrorist killed a Jew because he was a Jew and he was able to do so because of irresponsible security (policy).
"He (Za'al) left Tulkarem and reached Tapuach without stopping at a single checkpoint, without being asked a single question. The IDF prefers to preserve the social fabric of the Arabs over that of the Jews. We should fight terror the way you fight terror – through the crosshairs of a rifle. You do not fight your enemies with pleasantries and so-called peace talks."
His friend Oshri Meimon, who was supposed to pick him up Tuesday morning, told Ynet that terror victim was "a talented man who would always laugh at everything."
Assaf Paniel, another friend from the theater group said that "as soon as we heard about the attack we tried to make it to his house in Yitzhar, so we could be with his wife and the family, but the army was blocking the road."
Though 14 years have passed since Borovsky graduated from the Hispin yeshiva, head of the yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Egozi, remembered Borovsky fondly, noting that "he was a special man, very spiritual, alternative, abstract; a very gentle person.
"We met again later in life when we started an alumni seminary at the yeshiva," Egozi added. "We started the seminary so as to promote the study of alternative spirituality, in which Eviatar was always interested."
The terror attack took place Tuesday morning, when Za'al repeatedly stabbed Borovsky in his abdomen and then snatched his gun. Border Guard soldiers who were nearby opened fire at Za'al and injured him lightly.
Clashes near Tapuach Junction (Photo: AP)
According to military evaluations, Za'al, a Fatah operative from the village of Shucha near Tulkarem, had executed the terror attack in order to clear his family name after his brother was sent to prison for collaborating with Israel.
Salem Zaal
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's military wing, has taken responsibility for the attack. Palestinian security sources stated it was possible that Za'al was a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, but were nonetheless dubious of the authenticity of the announcement.
A few hours after the murder, riots ensued as dozens of settlers hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles near the village of Hawara, and a bus carrying Palestinian schoolgirls was attacked with stones. The bus' windshield was shattered and the driver was injured.
Settlers also entered the Palestinian village of Urif, torched structures, threw rocks and injured at least one local. Seven settlers have been arrested so far on suspicion of rioting.
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