Alaa Atzi (R)
Palestinian beats murder charge over death of Israeli, convicted of manslaughter
2 Palestinian relatives staying in Israel illegally were charged with murder of vineyard owner David Bar Kafra in 2015; during an attempt to rob him, the pair beat him mercilessly and he later succumbed to his wounds; first defendant convicted of lesser charge of manslaughter, while his relative's trial is still ongoing; Palestinians are 'terrorists and murderers, should have been sent to jail for many years,' says victim's son.
The Lod District Court convicted Alaa Atzi, a 25-year-old Palestinian from Beit Liqya in the West Bank, of manslaughter, despite being initially charged with the murder
of David Bar Kafra in 2015.
The trial of Aatzi's relative Mujahed Atzi, also involved with the crime, is still ongoing. The indictments against the two, who stayed in Israel illegally at the time, were served in July 2015 and charged them both with murder.
Alaa Atzi (R) was convicted of manslaughter over David Bar Kafra's death
Mujahed Atzi worked at Bar Kafra's vineyard in the Gezer Regional Council's Pedaya moshav in central Israel for three weeks. He was forced to resign, however, as he had no permit to stay or work in Israel. Despite the fact that Bar Kafra, 70, paid Atzi his full wage, Mujahed told his relative that he was still owed money. The two thus decided to collect.
On June 23, 2015, they entered Israel—once again without permits—and drove to the vineyard. They stayed overnight at a nearby orchard and noticed Bar Kafra out in the field the following morning.
They waited for a man who drove to the vineyard to complete his purchase of grapes and drive off, and—assuming the customer paid cash—decided to rob Bar Kafra.
The defendants then drew near him, with Mujahed Atzi obscuring his face with a shirt. Bar Kafra managed to cry out "thieves" before Mujahed gagged him with a piece of cloth. The pair then began beating him on his head and body with a stick and with their hands.
Bar Kafra collapsed, but they continued beating him. At one point, Mujahed Atzi poured pesticide over the prone elderly man.
David Bar Kafra and the scene of the murder (Photo: Yariv Katz)
When Bar Kafra lost consciousness after being badly bruised, the pair placed him on a mattress and escaped back to their home without calling for help, but also without taking anything because they could find no money on his person.
Bar Kafra was rushed to the Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center (formerly Assaf Harofeh), where he was pronounced dead. A short time later, the two were apprehended.
The elderly victim is survived by five children and 14 grandchildren. Bar Kafra's son said after Alaa Atzi's conviction, "In such harsh circumstances, two days before Memorial Day, our family recalls all of its travails these past few years.
"Anyone reading about the circumstances (of the case) will discover the police's claim that it was a robbery is ridiculous. Two murderers came to kill and make sure the job was done, including using serious beatings and the poison they forced my father to drink.
"They were known to both police and security services as terrorists. They are—terrorists and murderers. They should have been sent to prison for many years. They claim they came there to 'steal,' but they took nothing. They only saw a Jew, and killed him. This is a nationalistic incident."
Mujahed Atzi in court
The deceased's son, Eliyah, concluded by saying, "In anticipation of Memorial Day, I expected the police and security services to recognize this incident as nationalistic."
The Central District Attorney's Office said following Atzi's conviction of manslaughter that, "The indictment was based on testimony from his accomplice, as well as the testimonies of two eyewitnesses present for portions of the incident.
"During the criminal proceedings, evidential difficulties to prove the defendant's involvement in committing some of the offenses arose, but prosecution maintained enough evidence existed to convict him of murder nevertheless. The court determined differently, and we will study its decision thoroughly."
Public Defender's Office attorney Abed Abu Amar, who represented Atzi, explained that his client was "young and without a criminal record of any kind, who happened to be present during the tragic incident."
"He has disavowed any intentions to rob or kill the deceased throughout," Atzi's attorney added. "We're glad the court accepted our position that this wasn't murder. We believe he should also have been found not guilty of manslaughter. We will nevertheless study the verdict and consider our next move."
