Yinon Levanon
Yinon LevanonCourtesy of family

Haim Levanon, father of Yinon Levanon who was killed in 2013 by an Arab driver who was transporting illegal Arab workers near Susiya, decried a plea bargain agreed to by the prosecution with the driver's attorneys.

The driver, Sa'id Al-Nabari, admitted that he had been driving the vehicle and that he had been carrying illegal passengers. He is expected to be sentenced to a mere 3.5 years in prison under the plea bargain.

Al-Nabari is being prosecuted for manslaughter as a result of dangerous driving, but according to Haim Levanon, the charge should be murder. “We cannot tolerate the negligent and shameful way the prosecution is handling this case,” he said. “He was driving at top speed and crossed over a solid white line. If he is sentenced to three and a half years he will probably get out early for 'good behavior.' This is shameful that he should get such an easy sentence.”

Levanon, 28, was killed as Al-Nabari was trying to escape from police, who were in hot pursuit. He crossed a solid white line and hit Levanon's vehicle head-on. Three other people were lightly injured in the crash. They were taken to a hospital in Beersheva for treatment. The incident occurred on Road 60, not far from Meitar.

Akiva London, a spokesperson for the town of Susiya, told Arutz Sheva that Yinon, the second child of one of Susiya's founding families, decided he would remain in the town and set up his own household there. “He was very optimistic,” said London. “He looked at the positive side of life, and even during periods where an observer might have thought he had things to complain about, he would say that everything was fine.”

London added that this was not the first time that drivers had attempted to transport illegal Arabs past the security fence from Judea and Samaria. London said that he had alerted police numerous times regarding breaches in the fence that had apparently been used by transporters to move illegal PA Arabs into Beersheva and points beyond.

Haim Levanon said that the defendant refused to cooperate with authorities during his trial – and he expressed no remorse, either. “All he said was that he did 'not remember' the incident. A person like this should have the book thrown at him, not get a 'discount' on his term.”

In recent months, Israelis have become more aware that many incidents in which Arab drivers “accidentally” run down Israelis are not accidents, but terror attacks. In April, police arrested an Arab driver in Jerusalem for running down 25-year-old Shalom Yohai Sherki, who was waiting at a bus stop on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day.After initially hesitating to do so, Sherki was officially recognized as the victim of a terror attack.