Father of Halamish terrorist: The occupation is to blame for the attack

"The occupation is responsible for the attack, not my son," says the father of terrorist Omar al Abed who killed three Israelis on Friday night.

By JOY BERNARD
Updated: JULY 22, 2017 20:42
Father of Palestinian who killed three Israelis blames occupation for attack (Credit: Reuters)
Abed Aljaleel al Abed, the father of 19-year-old Omar al Abed who murdered three Israelis in the West Bank settlement of Halamish on Friday evening, blamed the "Israeli occupation" on Saturday for the attack his son carried out.
"I have no idea about what happened and I am against any attack," al Abed said in Arabic in a video released to the media.
Absolving his son from the responsibility of having executed the attack, al Abed said that "our children are young and the occupation is responsible [for the attack], not my son."
"The occupation caused this attack after pressing on Al-Aqsa mosque."

Al Abed was referring to the Israeli government's decision last week to place metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem, which is home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
The decision, which caused an escalation in the relations between Israel and the Palestinians and drew heavy protest from thousands of Palestinians in the days that followed, came after three Muslim terrorists killed two Israeli policemen last week and fled into the holy site to seek refuge there.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ordered on Friday to sever ties with Israel until it reverses its decision regarding the security measures at the Temple Mount.
On Saturday security forces raided the home of al Abadi. The terrorist's mother spoke to Israel's Channel 2, saying "they entered the house, turned it upside down, they started cursing me, they hit my husband and my children, they turned the whole house upside down."
"They told me to take out the weapon and I said that we don't have any weapons. They told me that I sent my son to carry out the attack and I told him that I didn't," she recounted.
"I didn't send him," she repeated, but then said that she is "proud of my son, may god save him and release him and look out for him."
On Friday evening, an Israeli family was gathered around the dinner table in their home situated in the West Bank settlement of Halamish when al Abed's son Omar infilitrated their home and stabbed them, killing three and severely injuring a third member of the family.
The IDF revealed Saturday that the terrorist had carried a Quran with him and purified himself with water before proceeding to carry out the attack.
Less than two hours prior to leaving his home in the West Bank village of Khobar and setting out to execute the attack, al Abed took to Facebook to post what he believed would be his last words. "I am writing my last testament and these are my last words. I am young,  not even twenty-years old, I had many dreams and many aspirations," he wrote.
Explaining that the situation at the Temple Mount inspired him to act, al Abed added: "But what life is this in which our women and our young are murdered without any justification? They are desecrating the al-Aksa mosque and we are sleeping, it's an embarrassment that we are idly sitting by."
On Friday night the IDF quickly responded to the attack, sealing off the entrances and exists to the attacker's village Khobar, near Ramallah. Forces have also mapped out his home in initial preparations to demolish it. Al Abed's brother has been detained to learn whether the terrorist received any assistance in preparing and carrying out the lethal attack.
Eytan Halon and Reuters contributed to this report.