22 years after the murders of Rabbi Binyamin Kahane and his wife Talia, the Israel Prisons Service early release board is considering granting an early release to the murderer, Nasser Abu Khamid, after Abu Khamid requested a hearing claiming ill health.
According to Al Jazeera, Abu Khamid was imprisoned due to committing unspecified "attacks" and is suffering from terminal cancer. On Thursday morning, the parole board of Israel Prisons Service (IPS) is due to convene in order to discuss early release for this convicted murderer who killed not only the Kahanes but also Gadi Rejuan, who was murdered in the Atarot industrial zone. Abu Khamid is currently serving seven life sentences plus a further 50 years behind bars.
The parole hearing was originally set for September, but after the families of the victims heard of the IPS's intentions, they protested and appealed to have the hearing postponed. The families are being represented by attorneys Ofir Steiner and Haim Bleicher of the Honenu organization, and they obtained permission for their clients to make statements at the hearing against the early release of the man who murdered their parents.
"Six children were left without a father or mother," wrote one of the Kahane children. "We were then between the ages of two and fourteen and the terrible trauma can never be erased or forgotten. There is no justification for showing mercy to this terrorist after the trauma, loneliness, grief, and deep pain that he caused, pain that I carry to this day."
"As a child I always felt different," wrote another of the Kahane children. "I would dream of my parents coming back, waiting for a miracle. Childhood experiences that were lost in one moment of evil. All the fear and anxiety that followed, and now that I am myself a mother, the sharp pain is even intensified. The thought that mercy could be shown to this despicable terrorist is something I can't describe, the injustice screams out to the heavens, and this time, it's coming from the State of Israel."