An estimated 1,000 people representing many sectors in Israeli society protested on behalf of Shai Dromi - restricted to house arrest after killing a Bedouin thief who infiltrated his property.

The rally was held Monday afternoon outside the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem. The theme of all the speakers was that Dromi's was a classic case of self-defense.



Dromi, 47, is being accused of manslaughter in an incident that occurred in his ranch near Be'er Sheva last month. He was sleeping in his barn following several months in which his tractor and horse were stolen and several of his dogs were poisoned. Around 3 AM he awoke to the sounds of yet another dog dying of poison - as well as four Bedouin burglars on his property. Fearing for his life, he later explained, he took an old gun of his father's and shot at the intruders' legs. One of the Bedouin bled to death, even though Shai said he tried to administer first-aid, and another was seriously wounded.



Among the many speakers at the protest was Rabbi Chanan Porat, a former Knesset Member and head of the Knesset Law Committee. Rabbi Porat addressed his remarks to the prosecutor in the case, Yiskah Liebowitz - daughter of Prof. Yeshayahu Liebowitz and niece of famed Torah commentator Prof. Nechama Liebowitz (both of whom are deceased).



Rabbi Porat read aloud from this week's Torah portion, which states (Exodus 22,1-2), "If a thief be found breaking in, and be smitten that he die, the killer shall not be liable." He then read from Nechama Liebowitz's commentary:

"The conclusion is one: A homeowner who kills a thief who sneaks into his home is not considered a murdered, but rather as one who killed upon seeing himself under attack, in accordance with the principle, 'When someone comes to kill you, kill him first.' ... If the law were to decree that the homeowner must wait until the thief pulls out a gun, and only then may the homeowner kill him - this would be akin to annulling one's right to self-defense. Therefore the Torah determined that when one sneaks into your home, you need not wait for further proof that he is to be considered 'one who comes to kill you.'"

"Listen to the words of your aunt, Yiskah!" cried Rabbi Porat.



MK Yitzchak Ahronovitch (Yisrael Beiteinu), one of the MKs proposing new legislation permitting homeowners to shoot a burglar, also spoke. He told the crowd that he had turned down newly-appointed Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann's request to postpone the proposal of the new bill. Ahronovitch also revealed that Shai Dromi himself "came to me a few months ago to complain about the deteriorating situation" in which Israeli farmers continually fall victim to the lawlessness of their Bedouin neighbors.



Protestors booed Meretz MK Avshalom Vilan for saying that populist legislation is not the solution. "Nor must anyone take the law into his own hands," he said. "We are not living in the wild west. Rather, the police must solve the problem."



MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) drew large applause when he said, "I am of the camp that believes the Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of Israel... I had hoped that a silver lining of the Disengagement/expulsion plan was that those who supported it would at least try to hold strong to other areas of the Land of Israel, such as the Negev and the Galilee - but I have been disappointed. We see that those who are willing to give up one part of the Land of Israel have no problem giving up on these other parts as well."



Shai's mother Myra, who immigrated to Israel 57 years ago from the United States, told the crowd, "Tempers are strong, and some are interested in making this into a political issue... The fact that all these strong-willed people have come here for Shai and have offered us so much help is very heartening, and hopefully this case can awaken the nation to right many wrongs."



The new legislation in question was originally proposed by Likud MK Yisrael Katz, and 94 mayors and local authority heads have signed their support for it. The bill would allow homeowners to take action against burglars without being criminally charged. Similar laws exist in Britain and 49 of the 50 U.S. states.



Meanwhile, some 50 Arabs and leftists arrived this morning [Tuesday] at the Talia farm near Beit Yatir - south of Hevron and just east of Dromi's farm - and proceeded, for several hours, to uproot growths and bushes. They then planted olive tree saplings in the ground, while police officials looked on. [See separate article.]



Photos by Arutz Sheva Photojournalist:
Josh Shamsi.

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