Funeral for Ben Yosef Livnat
Funeral for Ben Yosef LivnatIsrael news photo: Flash 90

On Sunday, Palestine Authority policemen,  terrorists masquerading in the uniforms of law enforcement officers,  murdered my nephew, Ben Yosef Livnat, known to everyone as "Benyo".

It is impossible to describe our heavy hearts when the terrible news was broken to us.

"Benyo"  was only 24 years old. Despite his young age, he leaves a wife and four tender children.

We will never forget the luminous light that always shone from his eyes. His eyes always shone.

I remember "Benyo" as a mischievous child, constantly laughing and smiling.

He loved G-d and mankind, and he loved the Land of Israel.

"Benyo", Ben Yosef, was named for Shlomo Ben Yosef, the first prisoner to be hanged by the British in the Acre prison in 1938, also because of his love for the Land of Israel. Now, 73 years later, his namesake Ben Yosef gave his life for the Land of Israel at the Tomb of the Biblical Yosef .

"Benyo" was killed solely because he was a Jew.

Only a few hours after the murder, while the wounded were still bleeding, one could already hear the voices of those who adopted the Palestinian version of what had occurred. Not a terrorist attack, but an "incident",  just a regrettable error, is the way they put it.  Except that anyone who sees the pictures, anyone who sees the bulletholes through the car windows, has no doubt that the shooting was done on purpose.

After all, "Benyo" and his friends came to Joseph's Tomb (Kever Yosef) unarmed. They wished simply to pray. After all, the PA policeman at the site knew them well and knew that they were unarmed.  That gave the  PA spokesman some difficulty in explaining the shooting spree and barbaric murder.

Joseph's Tomb is a religious site that was to be under Israeli control according to the Oslo Accords. Over the years, the Palestinians  broke every agreement made with regard to the Tomb, desecrating and burning it, even putting a mosque there instead.

May it be G-d's will that my family's tragedy, our personal mourning,  be the last. With a heavy heart, I must say that I doubt it. One thing, however, is certain – the IDF must take back the control of Joseph's Tomb.

(translated from Hebrew Arutz Sheva by Rachel Sylvetsky, INN Editor)