High Court freezes demolition of home of Israeli teen’s killer

In response to a petition by Arafat Irfaiya’s family to halt the demolition of the murderer’s home, the Israeli Supreme Court gave the IDF 48 hours to respond.

By World Israel News Staff

On Monday, Israel’s Supreme Court put a freeze on plans to demolish the home of the Palestinian who brutally raped and killed 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher in February.

The killer, 29-year-old Arafat Irfaiya of Hebron, confessed to the horrific crime, telling Israeli investigators, “I bought [a] skullcap two weeks before, so I could enter Israel without being suspected or identified as an illegal resident,” Channel 12 reported.

“I wanted to become a martyr and murder a Jew,” he explained.

While Irfaiya’s home is slated for demolition in compliance with standard protocol in terrorist murder cases, the Supreme Court halted the demolition order after Irfaiya’s family filed a petition in opposition to the move. The Israel Defense Force’s Central Command now must respond within 48 hours to keep the demolition process moving forward.

Ansbacher’s murder rocked the nation, as the young girl was killed while she wrote in her journal in the Ein Yael nature area on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

She was remembered by family and friends as a thoughtful, generous young woman with a promising life ahead of her.

Based on his crime, Irfaiya is eligible for a lifetime stipend from the Palestinian Authority, which financially rewards criminals who murder or injure Israeli civilians such as Ansbacher.