A Palestinian Authority Arab convicted for the bloody 2000 killing of Sgt.-Maj. Yosef Avrahami, one of two IDF soldiers lynched in Ramallah during the second intifada, has been freed.
Avrahami, 38, a resident of Petach Tikva, was an IDF reservist at the time. He was serving together with Cpl. Vadim Nurzhits, 35, a resident of Or Akiva and the two were traveling together when they accidentally entered Ramallah, the capital city of the Palestinian Authority.
On Wednesday, March 29, the IDF suddenly freed Haitham Muari, saying new evidence had come to light that raised a question of whether Muari should have been included in the group of Arabs who attacked the two soldiers, but hadn’t participated in their subsequent murder.
Muari was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison over the killing.
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, Muari raised the issue after learning that others who were involved in beating — but not killing — the soldiers had been released by security forces.
His conviction was voided, with agreement to a plea bargain that included his admission to charges of beating the soldiers and failure to prevent other crimes. His release after 16 years in prison was based on “time served.” All the others convicted in the horrific murders are continuing to serve life sentences.