Muntasar Shalabi, the terrorist who carried out a murderous attack at Tapuach Junction in May, shooting and killing yeshiva student Yehuda Guetta and wounding two others, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.
The Judea Military Court imposed two life sentences and compensation of millions of shekels on Shalabi after he was convicted of intentionally causing death, an attempt at intentionally causing death, carrying, possession, and producing of weapons, and obstruction of justice.
Members of the Guetta family attended the sentence reading.
Advocate Haim Bleicher, of the Honenu legal rights organization representing the Guetta family, stated that “we hope that the cursed terrorist will end his life within the prison walls as the sentence orders. But the story of the war on terror cannot end here. The State of Israel must take strict measures against the terrorist’s environment, which includes severe punishment against his aides. Exile of the terrorist’s clan from the country, and punishment against any incitement or support for terrorism.”
After Shalabi’s conviction, Rabbi Elisha Guetta, Yehuda’s father, sought to impose the death penalty on the terrorist.
“This terrorist deserves death. It is time for the judges, especially the military, to come out of their own box and decide what is good for the people of Israel, how to maintain the sanity of the state, and return the rulings accepted in military courts, a death sentence to such lowly people who sanctify death. We sanctify life,” he stated.
“He murdered in cold blood a young man, not yet 19. He deserves a death sentence, his family exiled, and all his aides – life imprisonment. It is a pity that we are humiliating ourselves, and not deciding properly,” he added.
Shalabi is a US citizen.
Shalabi’s house in the town of Turmus–Aya was demolished by the IDF in July.