Scene of shooting attack which left two officers dead
Scene of shooting attack which left two officers deadKobi Gideon / FLASH90

After an indictment was filed Sunday, against one of the suspected murderers responsible for the shooting death of two Israeli police officers in 2009, the sister of one of the two victims spoke out about the murder, its effect on her and her family, and the need to bring the killers to justice.

Earlier on Sunday, Mohammad Raduan Darama, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Tubas in Samaria, was charged with first degree murder for the killings of officers Yehezkel Ramzerker and David Rabinovich in the Jordan Valley eight years ago.

Little had been known about the killings prior to Sunday’s indictment, with the Shin Bet internal security agency quietly investigating the murders over the past eight years.

In April 2017, Darama was arrested for investigation, though the details of the arrest were not disclosed to the public. During his arrest, a homemade weapon and cartridge were also confiscated. The investigation pointed to his involvement in the 2009 murder.

Following the indictment, Nurit Schwartz, David Rabinovich’s sister, spoke with the news website 360 regarding her brother’s murder and its effect on her and her family.

“David was a good soul,” said Schwartz. “A loving son and a good boy. And he was a great father to his son, who was 13-years old at the time of his [David’s] murder. His life was taken suddenly. It was and still is so sad for the whole family, something you cannot forget or get over and go back to your regular life.”

Her parents, Schwartz added, had suffered serious physical problems in the wake of their son’s murder.

“My parent’s condition – both physical and emotional – has declined because of the murder. His son is growing up without a father. Also in [Ramzerker’s] family the children are growing up with no father. It is a terribly sad situation.”

“Anyone who has lost a relative understands that you never go back to your life [as it was]. Each day that passes you think about him and miss him and want so badly to speak with him, to talk with him about your life, about your troubles and your joys. He was a very important person in our lives, and we can never return to life as it was. That doesn’t happen to anyone, especially not my parents. I would never wish upon anyone to lose their son, especially not this way.”

Regarding her brother’s suspected murderer, Schwartz expressed hope that justice would be served.

“I’ve known about the arrest of one of the murderers for a few days now, and I hope that he will pay. I knew that the security people would not rest until they found the suspects, and I thank them for working so hard to get to this point, where they know what happened and who is guilty. I never gave up hope; I relied on the [security] establishment, which does its work like its supposed to.”