The military court today (Thursday) sentenced the terrorist who murdered Rabbi Raziel Shevach five years ago to life plus 26 years in prison.
Ahmad Kunba was part of the terrorist squad that murdered Rabbi Shevach, a father of six, in a shooting attack near his hometown of Havat Gilad in Samaria in 2018. Kunba drove the vehicle from which the shots that killed Rabbi Shevach were fired.
He was convicted of intentionally causing death (the equivalent of murder in the military court), firing at a person, obstructing an investigation, plotting additional terrorist attacks, and other charges.
In addition to the jail sentence, Kunbe was also ordered to pay NIS 1.5 million in compensation to the Shevach family.
Attorney Haim Bleicher of the Honenu legal organization said: "This is a hardened terrorist who was part of a unit that carried out many attacks. Such a terrorist has no place on earth, and it would be better for the State of Israel to make sure that these terrorists are not allowed to surrender alive."
"In any case, according to the verdict, the despicable terrorist is supposed to sit in prison until the day he dies, and we appeal to the authorities to act so that this despicable terrorist, together with his fellow murderers, will not receive any favorable conditions in prisons other than the minimum required by law. We are in the midst of a severe wave of terrorism against the citizens of Israel and when terrorists are sentenced to a life of suffering, that has a great effect on strengthening deterrence. It is time to resort to a complete worsening of the conditions of the terrorists in prison."
Rabbi Shevach's widow, Yael Shevach, spoke at a court hearing in the case several weeks ago about how her children have been forced to grow up without a father.
"Benyahu is six and a half years old today, he is starting first grade. He is the youngest of them. Three of [my children] entered first grade without a father. I am very afraid of this day, of taking my son to first grade surrounded by fathers who are hugging their children who are starting first grade. I talk about them a lot because it's hard for me to talk about myself. I try to give them as much as possible of what he was so that they feel this great love that he gave them, and I only have them," she said, adding: "Nothing will fill this void."