Home of Esther Horgan’s killer slated for demolition, IDF says

Muhammad Cabha, 40, admitted to killing Horgan on Dec. 20.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

The Israeli Army intends to demolish two floors where the terrorist lived who murdered Esther Horgan, the IDF said on Wednesday.

Muhammad Cabha, 40, admitted to killing Horgan on Dec. 20. He had decided six weeks previously to kill a Jew in retaliation for the loss of a friend who had died in an Israeli prison. Cabha has previously served time for terrorist-related activity.

Cabha searched for a location to carry out his despicable act, settling on a break in the security fence between Israel and Palestinian Authority areas. When he later saw Horgan running alone on her morning jog in the vicinity, he attacked her, killing her by smashing her head with a rock.

Her body was found in the early hours of Dec. 21 after her family reported her missing and a search had been launched.

Horgan worked as an artist and marriage counselor. She was a mother of six. She was buried on Dec. 22.

Demolishing terrorists’ homes is meant as a deterrent to future attackers but there are questions about its efficacy and its legality. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the practice and has worked to speed up the time it takes from the terror act to the actual demolition of the terrorist’s home.

There has been pushback from Israel’s Supreme Court, however. Most recently last August, the court overturned an IDF decision to demolish the home of Nazmi Abu Bakr, who killed Sgt. First Class Amit Ben-Yigal by throwing a stone down at him from a building. The court’s move was unpopular with the general public.

The criticism led Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to instruct prosecutors to urge the court to hold another hearing on the issue. The court rejected the motion.

It’s not yet known if a challenge will be brought against the IDF’s decision in the Horgan case.

Esther HorganMurder