Dagan and son Yair Rechavam on Ghandi's grave
Dagan and son Yair Rechavam on Ghandi's graveHezki Baruch

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan arrived at the memorial for slain minister and IDF war hero Rechavam Ze'evi ("Gandhi") on the 17th anniversary of his passing with his son Yair-Rehavam, named after the leader.

"I was chairman of Moledet Youth and I admired Gandhi. After the murder I knew I'd name my eldest son after Gandhi," Dagan told Arutz Sheva.

Dagan also tells about his personal connection with Gandhi, estimates what Gandhi would have thought of coexistence in the Barkan industrial zone, and whether he shares the request that Gandhi's son, Palmah Zeevi, to define the state's borders.

דגן עם בנו יאיר-רחבעם על קברו של גנדי בהר הרצל

The four men who assassinated Ze'evi in 2001 were members of the PFLP terror group, and tried to escape justice claiming they were residents of the Palestinian Authority and that the murder had taken place in eastern Jerusalem, which is "occupied territory". They also said they had already been tried by the PA's courts and could thus not be tried again for the same offense.

The three-judge panel at the time rejected these claims and determined that the site of the murder – Jerusalem's Hyatt Hotel – was Israeli territory. They also ruled that "double jeopardy" did not apply because Israel had never asked the PA to try them.

The four men were held in a Jericho jail under British guard until Hamas took control of the PA, at which time the British guard left and the IDF seized the men and brought them to Israel.

Dagan with son Yair Rechavam and Palmach Ze'evi
Dagan with son Yair Rechavam and Palmach Ze'eviDagan