The Dromi Law received its first test this week when a homeowner in Moshav Ben Shemen shot and mortally wounded a burglar who had broken into his house.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

The homeowner, who was detained by police, said the intruder attacked him with a knife, which was found by police at the scene. Two accomplices fled before the officers arrived.

 

The intruder died of his wounds Tuesday morning at Assaf HaRofeh hospital in Tzrifin, near Tel Aviv.

 

The incident is similar in a number of ways to the case of Shai Dromi, the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Negev farmer who shot at a group of Bedouin when they intruded on his land to steal livestock in January 2007. The burglars also poisoned Dromi's dog.

 

One of the intruders in the Dromi case, Khaled el-Atrash, died of gunshot wounds, resulting in the state charging Dromi with manslaughter. He was also charged with illegal possession of firearms and aggravated assault.

 

The manslaughter charges led to public outrage over what was deemed an unfair response to a homeowner's right to protect their family and property.

 

It eventually also led to the passage by the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and then the full Knesset, of the Home Invasion Act – often referred to as the "Dromi Law" -- which ensures a property owner's right to self-protection.

 

From Possible Convict to City Council Candidate

The case against Dromi, whose name was submitted on the Green Party list as a candidate for the upcoming Be'er Sheva City Council elections, is still pending.

 

The head of the Council for Unrecognized Bedouin Villages, Hassan al-Rafaya slammed the party for its choice, telling the Yediot Aharonot news agency in an interview earlier this month, "This list is tainted with blood." But not all Bedouin in the area feel the same.

 

Asked by Israel National News whether Shai Dromi indeed "belongs in jail," as al-Rafaya asserted angrily, a number of Bedouin in the area quietly answered that el-Atrash "deserved what he got." In Dromi's place, they said, they would have done the same.   

 

Dromi: 'Don't Be Naïve'

Meanwhile, Dromi warned in an interview with Yediot Aharonot that the Ben Shemen homeowner "must be ready for a difficult campaign to prove he's right," despite the new law.

 

"He should not act naively with investigators," said the Negev farmer, cautioning, "He should know that the legal system and prosecutors are not mature enough to take responsibility and will try to lay the responsibility at the feet of the citizen."

 

Volunteers from the Negev communities' organization, Israel's Farmers' Association and the Beef Cattle Breeders' Association organized events to help Dromi's wife and children while he was forced to sit in jail awaiting trial. Among their activities was a tree-planting event that expanded his 350-tree olive grove and planted a 450-vine grape vineyard, in addition to dealing with the normal ranch work.

 

"Maybe these extreme cases will produce a change," he added. "I hope the 'Dromi Law' will stand this test."