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Palestinian terrorist convicted for brutal murder of Esther Horgan

Holding Palestinian leaders responsible for paying terrorists could serve as a major deterrent, said the victim’s family.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The terrorist who brutally murdered mother-of-six Esther Horgan in an unprovoked attack in December 2020 was found guilty for the slaying by an Israeli military court on Wednesday.

Muhammad Kabha pounced on French-born Horgen as she walked in the Reihan Forest near Tel Menashe in Samaria, overpowering her and repeatedly beating her in the head with rocks until she died, the court found.

But the family of the victim said the guilty verdict doesn’t go far enough to stop terror attacks perpetrated by Palestinians against Jews.

“We regret that the killer’s [backers] aren’t sitting next to him in the [defendant’s] dock,” Horgan’s family told Arutz Sheva.

“[We are] referring to the Palestinian Authority and its leader, who encourage terrorism through blood libels and educating [the public] to hate and kill, and pay huge sums to terrorists and their families after the fact.

“The prosecution of individual PA leaders for sending and paying mercenaries to murder Jews will perhaps create a more meaningful deterrent and prevent, or at least reduce the chances of the next murder,” the family added.

Attorney Maurice Hirsch, who represented Horgan’s family, echoed their sentiments in a statement.

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“The vile terrorist who murdered Esther did not act in a vacuum. The incitement by the Palestinian Authority and the rewards it pays to each terrorist have made a significant and serious contribution to the horrific murder,” he said.

The Shin Bet reported that Kabha’s motivation for the slaying was to avenge the recent death of his friend, who had died of cancer in an Israeli prison six weeks before the murder.

According to the investigation, Kabha had laid in waiting in the forest for hours, before spotting and selecting Horgan as his victim.

Kabha had previously been convicted of terror offenses and has spent time in Israeli prisons.