Haifa District Court sentences 3 defendants convicted of the attempted manslaughter of Eden Natan Zada to 2 years in prison, after Zada was caught for murdering 4 people in 2005.

A defendant objected, saying: ‘We deserve no punishment.’ 

The verdict read: “Revenge is for God; punishment is for the judiciary.”

By Hassan Shaalan

The Haifa District Court sentenced three of the attackers of Jewish terrorist Eden Natan Zada to two years in prison. In August 2005, Natan Zada murdered four Shfaram residents and was beaten to death by an angry mob. Two other defendants also received jail time, while one was given probation.

The Shfaram bus, shortly after the attack – Archive photo: AP

Meanwhile, hundreds of Shfaram residents demonstrated outside the court as the sentence was being handed down.

Presiding Judge Ilan Schiff said the State of Israel cannot tolerate acts of retribution. He noted the act was not planned but was particularly brutal, lasting a whole hour.

“We have no proof of discrimination against Jews in similar circumstances,” he said. “We did not see fit to address past cases where Jews who were tried for similar offenses were pardoned.” He explained this does not affect the sentence but the procedures following it.

Outside the court hundreds of Muslims, Christians and Druze gathered to protest, among them Arab Knesset members. “This is the toughest day for us,” one of the defendants said. “We deserve no punishment. We paid enough with all the hardships we’ve been through in the past few years. Unfortunately the state wants to turn us into terrorists instead of being honored.”

On August 4, 2005, Natan Zada, an IDF soldier who had gone AWOL, opened fire at a bus in Shfaram, killing four people. He was then stopped by some of the passengers. Police officers who tried to remove him from the scene were unable to stop an angry mob from beating him to death.

In June 2009, indictments were filed against seven Shfaram residents for attempted murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, obstruction of justice and rioting.

According to the indictment, each of the defendants assaulted the soldier, who was laying on the floor, with rocks and iron rods.

Last July, the Haifa District on Monday convicted four out of seven defendants tried for the lynching of Eden Natan Zada of attempted manslaughter. Two were convicted of aggravated battery and one defendant was acquitted.

“No self-respecting society will tolerate lynching even if the person committed a heinous crime,” the verdict read. “Revenge is for God; punishment is for the judiciary.”

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4459151,00.html