Jews in Yemen are demanding that the Yemeni government either "protect them or deport them from the country" after a Muslim murdered one of them last Thursday, according to the Yemen Observer.
"As long as the State is unable to protect us and secure us in our homeland, then, you buy our houses and properties and pay us the money and deport us from the country," the Observer quoted Rabbi Yahya bin Yaish, brother of the slain man, Mousa Yaish.
The Rabbi revealed that the Jewish community has been repeatedly abused over the past few months. The Jewish community numbers less than 500 people, while Yemen's total population is around 22 million.
Repeated assaults and threats
"Over the past months we have been suffering from repeated assaults and threats, and we have been reporting to the concerned bodies and tribal chiefs but without success," he said.
He accused "some local people headed by bodyguards of some influential officials" of systematically harassing the Jews in Raida and Kharef in Amran province, where about 400 Jews live.
The Ministry of Interior said Saturday it had arrested eight of the people accused of abusing the Jews.
"The assaults and threats reached murder, like my brother who was cold bloodedly killed in the market, within everyone's view and earshot," the rabbi said.
'They beat us and threaten our women with guns'
"They search us when we come and go, they search our visitors, and investigate our guests, they sometimes attack our houses, beat us, and threaten our women with guns, and nobody rescues us from them," Rabbi bin Yaish said. "It seems that everybody is helpless to protect us from those assailants, or maybe these are organized assaults," he added.
A former pilot, Abdul Azeez Hamoud Al Abdi, confessed to killing Mousa Yaish and showed no remorse, sources familiar to the investigations told the Observer.
The sources said the perpetrator said he murdered "in order to get closer to Allah," and that he "warned the Jews in writing" one month ago. In his alleged letter he demanded that the Jews "convert to Islam, leave the country, or face the sword."
However, Rabbi bin Yaish denied that any such letter had been received before the murder.
Israeli sisters hurt in road accident
The sources also said that investigations have shown that the murderer traveled to Saudi Arabia and Lebanon in 2008, but gave no information about the reasons for the visits.
The deputy director of security in Amran province, Ahmed Al Suraihi, said that the investigation has been completed and the case will be referred to the prosecution this week.
Relatives of the victim from Israel, US and Britain arrived in Yemen to participate in his funeral. Two of his sisters were injured, one of them seriously, in a car accident on their way from Raida to Amran on Friday, after they arrived from Israel.
"Now, they are in a hospital in Sana'a, and the funeral may be delayed until his sisters have recovered," said one of the relatives who accompanied the sisters.