Israeli court’s decision that ‘terrorist didn’t intend to murder’ overturned on appeal

The Israeli victim’s appeal was accepted and the terrorist will receive a harsher sentence.

By World Israel News Staff

Four years ago, in October 2015, Nirit Zamora was stabbed by a terrorist from Hebron. Incredibly, Israel’s Ofer Military Court ruled that the terrorist did not intend to murder her. On Monday, however, Zamora’s appeal was accepted. The military appeals court will punish the terrorist on the harsher charge of attempted murder.

The military appeals court judge noted that the Palestinian nationalist leanings of the terrorist strengthened the conclusion that he intended to murder Zamora, Ynet news site reports.

When convicted in April 2018, the terrorist, Hamza Faiz, was given the relatively light sentence of 14 years in prison. The judges justified their ruling, saying that Faiz used a short knife and only stabbed Zamora once in the back before fleeing.

Faiz yelled “Allahu Akbar” as he stabbed her. The knife broke off at the handle with the blade stuck in Zamora’s back.

The court said in its initial ruling: “The blade broke off and the defendant was not able to stab the plaintiff additional times, but this fact is not sufficient to indicate that he intended to do so. Not only that, in a statement to the police, when he was asked how many times he intended to stab her, he answered simply, ‘Once.'”

Zamora, a mother of eight from the settlement of Beit Haggai was in a Gush Etzion shopping center parking lot when she was stabbed. She was seriously wounded and is still suffering a painful recovery today.

Attorney Haim Bleicher of the Honenu legal organization, who represented Zamora, said:

“We welcome the decision of the Military Court of Appeal and the determination that a stabbing on a nationalist background is indicative of the terrorist’s intent.

“The Court of Appeals expressed common sense and understanding as to what the State of Israel and its citizens stand against – murderous terrorists. We must act in all ways, including legal ones, to bring about real deterrence against terrorists. We expect the military court to sentence the terrorist to many years.”

The IDF court’s initial decision was widely criticized as lowering Israel’s deterrence against lone-wolf attackers.