Fatah vows to rebuild home of terrorist accused of Rabbi's death
Khalil Doikat's house was demolished in November by the IDF, after he was accused of committing the murder of Rabbi Shai Ohayon.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFDemolition of home of terrorist who killed Rabbi Shai Ohayon(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
The Palestinian ruling Fatah faction, headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has vowed to reward a terrorist responsible for stabbing a rabbi to death by rebuilding his demolished house, according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).On November 2, the IDF demolished the home of 46 year-year-old Palestinian Khalil Doikat who was arrested by the Israel Police in August for the murder of 39-year-old Rabbi Shai Ohayon.In August, Ohayon, a 39-year-old father of four, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in his body near the Segula junction in Petah Tikva. Doikat, who held an Israeli work permit, was arrested by police shortly after the incident with a bloodstained knife apparently used in the attack.According to PMW, Doikat confessed to the murder.While some NGOs and human rights organizations criticized the IDF for using collective punishment by demolishing the homes of the terrorist’s families, the IDF believes it is a key deterrent to stop other attackers.Meanwhile, it is PA policy to reward and honor terrorists, including during acts involving murder. Rewards include rebuilding the homes of terrorists demolished by the IDF.On the same date that Doikat's house was demolished, a post on Fatah’s official Facebook page cited Fatah Movement Deputy Chairman Mahmoud Al-Aloul as saying that "there is no home that the occupation has destroyed, and we have not rebuilt. We will rebuild the home of prisoner Khalil Dweikat in the village of Rujeib."Recently, PMW documented that the PA rebuilt the home of another Palestinian terrorist who in March 2019, was charged with murdering 19-year-old IDF Sgt. Gal Kaidan and 47-year-old Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, a father of 12, in a terror attack at the Ariel Junction.The alleged terrorist, Omar Abu Laila, was killed while resisting arrest by IDF forces two days after Kaidan and Ettinger were killed.Abu Laila's home was later demolished by the IDF in 2019 before the PA went on to rebuild it, according to PMW.
Since the attack, Fatah named a youth camp after Abu Laila and the PA called him a "heroic Martyr," "more honorable than all of us," and "the perfect person."Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.
