Israeli military shoots, kills suspected Palestinian stabber

Most of the attackers have been young Palestinians in their teens and early 20s. Although 31-year-old Yoseph Haim Ben-David is suspected of orchestrating the brutal crime, his verdict was delayed due to an insanity plea. It is possible the court will rule the insanity claim inadmissible and then convict Ben-David of murder, as the judges appeared ready to do on Monday.

Mohammad Abu Khdair’s body was found in a forest in West Jerusalem on 2 July 2014, two days after the bodies of the Israeli teenagers abducted and murdered by Hamas militants that June were found. Two minors were found guilty of murdering Mohammed Abu Khdeir, but a third man is facing a psychological review before being sentenced. In a pre-trial hearing, he shouted: “I am the Messiah!” “If it was a Palestinian who did this to an Israeli child, they would kill him before even arresting him”.

Hamas denounced the delay in the verdict for Ben-David, calling it “proof of the occupier’s racism and the cover it gives to settlers’ crimes”.

He will not be convicted of the murder until a psychiatric evaluation has been carried out. One teenager promised as Abu Khdeir was burned to death, he remained in the vehicle.

In Jerusalem, the family of Fadi Alloun launched court proceedings over the killing of the 19-year-old, who was shot dead on October 4.

Mohammed was abducted from outside the main mosque in Shuafat, a neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. It is this unwritten law which Abu Khdeir’s cousin refers to in her anguished words. Just hours later, his burned corpse was discovered in a nearby forest.

There is also the lawlessness of Israel’s extrajudicial killings of Palestinians who are suspected of a crime, or caught carrying out a crime. They have not been identified by the court.

The departures were part of domino effect violence that resulted in a almost two-month war in the Gaza Strip.

During the trial which lasted a year, the two minors turned against Ben David, saying he had given them pills before the killing.

Normal legal procedures dictate that such conduct would be allowed since Ben David hadn’t been convicted yet, however the court would examine the opinion separately later in December, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Abu Khdeir’s father, Hussein, described the trial as “shocking”, and vowed to bring the case to the International Criminal Court. He has called for life sentences in prison for all three of those involved in the murder of his son.

“It’s been one year and four months already, and it’s going to last until January at least and after that, God knows when it will end”.

Ben-David has not spoken in court but Muhammad’s family said he was clearly sane and appeared lucid in videos shown in court.

“None of the Israeli psychiatrists would write a report for Ben David, the defence tried to pay a lawyer from overseas but the judge initially refused”.

Album of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, dancing with his family’s debke troupe.

The stabber was at large – the victim said he was an Arab man – and police said they were searching for him and looking into the motive for the attack.