Bishara demands a probe in Shfa-Amr shooting

After details were reveled about Natan-Zada, 19, the Israeli settler-soldier who carried out the Shfa-Amr shooting, Arab member of Knesset Azmi Bishara said that the Israeli military established news that the assailant is a terrorist, carries terrorist ideologies against the Arabs, and a well known right-wing extremist.

“The Israeli media reported that Nata-Zada is an extremist and a member of the outlawed Kach terrorist movement”, Bishara said, “yet they kept him in the army, and gave him an automatic rifle”.

The Israeli security service, Shabak, did not attempt to locate the soldier after he deserted the army and joined extremist settlers in Tapuah settlement, in the West Bank. He was an activist at the terrorist Kach movement and deserted the army one month ago to join extremist settlers in their protest against the Disengagement Plan.

Bishara added that the presence of extremist settlers became a social reality in the state of Israel. “They developed with the occupation, and racism against the Arab residents”, Bishara stated, “which makes us wonder what is the Israeli security doing to prevent extremists and terrorists from becoming soldiers”.

Also, Israel Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, said on Friday that the soldier who carried out the terrorist attack killing four Arab residents and wounding 12 others, before the crowd managed to control and killed him, will not receive officials burial ceremonies but will be buried in a military ceremony but without official tributes. 

The funeral of the attacker was supposed to take place of Friday, but was delayed following the decision of Mofaz, an Israeli source reported.

Mofaz also ruled that the assailant will not be buried in a military cemetery, “He is not worthy a grave near the soldiers who died while defending Israel”, Mofaz said, “The coffin will not be wrapped with the Israeli flag, no eulogy will be recited, and there will be no honor guard or gun salute”.

The terrorist attack left four Arab residents killed, and fifteen injured; the victims of the attack, which was carried out by a soldier-settler from Tapoah settlement, slated for evacuation, were identified as two sisters, Hazar 23, and Deena Torkey, 21, Nader Hayek, 55, and Michael Bahhouth, 56 years old.