The killer's body was also not released.

Israeli authorities yesterday planned to hand over to relatives the body of an Israeli Arab who carried out a terrorist attack in one of the religious schools in Jerusalem at the end of last week. However, they refused to do this, since the funeral of the killer of eight Israelis threatened to develop into a mass protest demonstration. The government also denied the terrorist's family financial assistance to which he was entitled as an Israeli citizen.

Police brought the body of 20-year-old Alla Abu Dhein to his home village of Jabal Muqabr, outside Jerusalem. By that time, more than a thousand people had gathered at the terrorist’s house, waving flags and praising the killer. A representative of the Israeli authorities advised the relatives to bury the terrorist quietly. The authorities feared that the ceremony would develop into riots. However, relatives did not listen to this wish. Then the police refused to hand over the body for burial.

Let us recall that late in the evening of March 6, Alla abu-Dhein entered the Mercaz HaRav religious school in Jerusalem and opened fire on the students. The killer walked around the classrooms and shot everyone who got in his way with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Only 20 minutes later it was destroyed by an Israeli army officer who lived in the house opposite and came running to the sound of shooting. During this time, the terrorist managed to fire more than 600 bullets, which killed eight people.

As the investigation immediately established, the killer turned out to be an Israeli citizen, a resident of the Arab village of Jabal Mukabr. And this became the main social shock. However, according to Israeli intelligence services, 25% of the approximately 1.5 million Israeli Arabs are involved in terrorist activities to one degree or another. As observers note in this regard, Israel is trying to protect itself from Palestinian terrorists with the help of protective fences separating it from the Palestinian territories, but such barriers cannot protect itself from its own citizens.

The terrorist's Israeli citizenship gave rise to a legal conflict. By law, the Israeli government is obliged to provide the family of the late Alla abu Dhein with financial assistance for burial. But in these circumstances it would look blasphemous: the state pays money to the relatives of a person who killed fellow citizens. However, under existing legislation, even Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cannot restrict the civil rights of holders of Israeli citizenship. And even if they are involved in terrorist activities.

True, in emergency situations, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has the authority to deprive citizenship of those whose activities harm state security. In particular, this applies to those involved in terrorist activities. However, this can only be done after the citizen has left Israeli territory. But even in this case, the state does not have the opportunity to limit the civil rights of the relatives of the terrorist. And there are no legal grounds for depriving them of cash benefits provided by law. In particular, they cannot be deprived of survivor benefits or financial compensation for funeral arrangements. For now, Ehud Olmert ordered to delay the payment to the family of Alla abu Dhein. In addition, the Knesset may consider amendments to the law, according to which family members of terrorists would be automatically deprived of Israeli citizenship.

Alexander Kommersant-Reutov

Israel refused to pay terrorist's family