A Palestinian Authority terrorist convicted of murdering two soldiers in 2005 expressed “sorrow” after the verdict by saying, “If I regret anything, it is that I only killed two soldiers and not more.”
A military court found Suhil Koka guilty of murder last week and handed down two life sentences in prison plus another 30 years.
Koka not only said he wished he could have killed more soldiers, but also told the judges, “I do not recognize this court, and I do not recognize the State of Israel…I want to remind you that Hamas and the Al Kassam Brigades will not forget their sons in jail, and [kidnapped soldier] Gilad Shalit is only the beginning.”
Evidence in the trial revealed that Koka and his brother Abdallah planned the murders by traveling a short distance outside of Judea and Samaria to gather information and establish an observation post. They also dug a ditch in a nearby Arab olive grove to hide their weapons after the attack.
The two brothers wore stolen IDF uniforms, drove to the site of the attack, received a call from the observation point and then placed a stop sign on the highway. When the Israeli vehicle with several soldiers approached, the terrorists used hand signals for it to stop and then opened fire with M-16 rifles, killing Yosef Atia and Ariel Boda and wounded two other soldiers.
As planned, the weapons were buried in the ditch and the terrorists fled to Shechem.
The PA now is responsible for halting terrorism in Shechem as well as other cities, where American-trained security forces patrol the streets. However, the IDF has carried out major counterterrorist operations there as recently as this month.