Police investigating falling death as possible nationalistic murder
Lifted gag order reveals family of Nathaniel Roi Arami believes he was killed at Petah Tikva work site for nationalistic reasons.
By DANIEL K. EISENBUDNathaniel Roie Arami(photo credit: COURTESY THE FAMILY)
Two weeks after police said a Petah Tikva construction worker’s death was the result of an accident, the lifting of a court-sanctioned gag order on Tuesday revealed that police are now investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack.On September 16, Nathaniel Roi Arami, 26, fell to his death while rappelling down from the 11th floor of a building at the construction site where he worked. It remained unclear, however, how the married father of two, who was expecting a third child, had lost control.During an initial investigation into the case, police questioned an Arab co-worker, but released him after he denied any wrongdoing.Yet according to members of Arami’s family, the fall was no accident.After the gag order was lifted, the family held a press conference, during which they accused the police and government of a cover-up and demanded that the killer be brought to justice.“The loss and sacrifice of Nathaniel is all of Israel’s,” his father said. “All I ask is for your help to ensure that the truth comes out and that nothing will be covered up. We do not sleep at night because of this.”Arami’s mother claimed her son had been killed for being Jewish.“Nathaniel was murdered for being a Jew, and I am calling on all government agencies to put an end to this massacre,” she stated. “Nobody knows who’s next.”Refuting initial police claims that his death was an accident, she added that her son had been certified and highly skilled at rappelling, reiterating that he was the victim of a cover-up.“Our people are not stupid, and the truth will come out in the end,” she said.Noting that the family had received far more support from the public than from the government and police, she thanked “all the people of Israel who have supported us” and beseeched the government to ensure “Nathaniel will be the last victim.”At the press conference, Arami’s wife, who is three months pregnant, described her husband as a loving and caring father with no enemies.“My husband left for work in the morning and did not return,” she said. “Now my children ask, ‘Mommy, where’s daddy?’” Meanwhile, MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) echoed the family’s allegation of murder, adding that this was not the first time police had attempted to cover up the murder of Jews by Arabs.“We see that in every case where it is possible to ignore [reality], the police and other authorities prefer to bury their heads in the sand...because it’s easier and they don’t want demonstrations and fear of the consequences,” said Feiglin.The politician added that there would be a demonstration on Wednesday near a police station in Bat Yam to demand justice.However, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld patently denied the family’s claims of a cover-up, adding that while there had been no arrests, police were continuing to investigate the case and were “looking in all directions.”
