A military court in Samaria has sentenced an accessory to a terrorist attack in the Barkan industrial zone to four years in prison. Abed al-Rahman was also fined NIS 50 thousand. In his verdict, Justice Samzar Shagog wrote that, "The defendant could have prevented the crime via a simple phone call to the police, even anonymously. The fact that he did not do so was not due to his concern for his own welfare, but rather due his indifference to the fate of dozens of people, or even to his support for the attack."
The 2018 shooting attack at the Alon factory in the Barkan industrial zone claimed the lives of two Israelis, Kim Levengrond-Yehezkel, 29, of Rosh Ha’ayin, and Ziv Hajbi, 35, of Rishon Lezion..
"The degree of knowledge of the defendant was at the highest level," noted Judge Shagog. "Apart from the fact that Ashraf Na'alwa told him that he was planning to carry out a shooting attack at his place of work in Barkan and described his plan, he actually showed him the weapon and told him about ammunition he had obtained."
The judge added that, "The defendant was in constant contact with the perpetrator for around a month and there is not a single sign that he tried to deter him from carrying out the attack, nor did he express any repulsion at his plan to take the lives of innocent people. He even intended to hide the attacker following the attack, if necessary."
Attorney Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu organization, who is representing the families of the victims, commented on the sentence: "After a long struggle by Rafi, Kim's father, finally there has been a change in perception in the courts and a decision to impose a sentence close to the maximum possible. However, the court should impose the maximum punishment the law permits - that is, five years. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to tighten legislation with regard to accessories to terrorists, as only harsh punishment can act as an effective deterrent."