Nabil Abu-Hadir of the Shuafat neighborhood of Jerusalem was sentenced Sunday for murdering his sister Taghrid Diab 17 years ago in an “honor killing.” Abu-Hadir was found guilty of stabbing his sister to death at a Jerusalem bus stop as her three young children cried and begged him to stop.
The 17-year delay in delivering justice was due to the fact that Abu-Hadir fled Jerusalem following the murder, running to the nearby city of Bethlehem, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority. There, he worked as a university lecturer and raised a family.
Abu-Hadir was sentenced to life in prison. In addition, he was ordered to pay each of Taghrid's children 100,000 shekels.
The children testified in court that they were left psychologically scarred by witnessing the murder and then growing up without a mother. “It is easy to understand the children, and to see that their suffering was very great,” wrote judges Yaakov Tzeven, Miryam Mizrachi and Rafi Carmel. “It is painful and difficult to grow up without a mother; and seven times harder after a child saw his mother stabbed 23 times before his eyes.”
“Something like that would leave a mark on the heart and soul of any person, all the more so a young child.”
Abu-Hadir's other relatives showed support for him in court. During his trial, sister Hana Abu-Hadir said, “This involved my brother and my sister. But she is with G-d now, and he did not commit this murder. The court did not consider Nabil's wife and children.”
Abu-Hadir's attorney has expressed hope that the Supreme Court will overturn his client's conviction. He accused the state of destroying evidence that could have led the court to find Abu-Hadir innocent.
Nabil Abu-Hadir argues that during the time of the murder he was in another sister's home. Judges found him guilty based on both eyewitness testimony and his own suspicious behavior, including his behavior on the day of the murder, his lack of interest in Taghrid's death, and his flight to Bethlehem.
For a shocking report on honor killings in the USA, click here.