Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called the parents of Shalhevet Pass last night and asked them not to delay her funeral any longer. Shalhevet was the ten-month-old baby who was murdered in cold blood by a Palestinian sniper on Monday afternoon, and her parents refuse to bury her until the government orders the army to reconquer the Abu Sneineh hills in Hevron. These hills overlook Jewish neighborhoods, and have been used for months as a base for shooting attacks against Jews.



Shalhevet\'s father, Yitzchak, who was wounded in the fatal attack, told Sharon that he would not accede to the request until Sharon gives the above order. A short time afterwards, the Avraham Avinu neighborhood was attacked by terrorist gunfire once again from the Shalhevet (Abu Sneineh) Hills. Hevron resident Moshe Ben-Zimra explained today, \"Bodies are sometimes used for science and for other uses. This is a much more important issue. People\'s lives are at stake. If those hills are not retaken, other Jewish babies, children, and adults of Hevron are in danger of being shot to death from there.\"



Shalhevet\'s father Yitzchak Pass, speaking with Arutz-7 today, said that the Prime Minister did not tell him clearly whether he plans to order the re-taking of the hills. \"Sharon just said that the policy against terrorism has changed, and things will be OK,\" recounted Pass, who will begin sitting shiva [the seven-day mourning period] only once his baby is buried. \"When they gave away Hevron, we all said that it was just a matter of time before the Arabs use their towering height advantage over us and start shooting. Over the last six months they have shot thousands of bullets. We have had many miracles, but these apparently stopped with our baby... When a husband sees his wife pick up her baby and have the baby die from a bullet wound in her arms, the only thing we can think about is to make sure that no one else ever goes through this again… We are not using her for political means; we are talking about life and death. If Shabbat can be violated in order to save lives, then certainly the commandment of Halanat HaMet - not to delay burial - has the same status… We very much salute the brave stand of Rabbi Dov Lior [Kiryat Arba\'s Chief Rabbi], and others who followed him, who ruled that this was the right thing to do... Our faith in G-d is strong. This might sound strange, but if it turns out that the death of Shalhevet will help the People of Israel, then may that be our small consolation.\"