Fatah terrorist given 3 life sentences

Military court also indicts two Hamas members for Sasson Nuriel's murder.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
court gavel 88 (photo credit: )
court gavel 88
(photo credit: )
The Judea military court on Wednesday sentenced a Fatah Tanzim terrorist to three life sentences, plus thirty additional years, for the murder of three Israelis in 2000 and 2001. Mohammed Brash, 27, participated in shooting attacks in which Sarah Leisha and two servicemen - naval Leading Rating Elad Wallerstein and air force Cpl. Amit Zenah - were killed. The same court also indicted two members of the Hamas who were involved in the abduction and subsequent murder of Sasson Nuriel in September this year. Details released by the army on Thursday revealed that Brash, who was sentenced, was a member of the Fatah Tanzim and was charged on 10 counts for his involvement in shooting attacks in which three Israelis were killed. The charges ranged from membership in an unauthorized organization, intent to murder, attempted murder and weapons sales. According to the charge sheet, Brash joined the Al Aksa's Fatah Tanzim in November 2000, after being recruited by a member of the Palestinian national Force 17 guards. Two weeks after joining the organization, he, along with three others, traveled to Sinjil, where they received a Kalashnikov rifle from a Palestinian member of Force 17. The accused, along with the others, then traveled in a car in search of Israeli targets in the Ramallah area. In the afternoon, they spotted a car driven by Sarah Leisha, who was traveling on Road 60 to her home in Halamish. The terrorists overtook the car and opened fire killing, Leisha. They then continued driving and spotted an Israeli bus transporting soldiers near the old British police station in Wadi Haramiya. They drew up towards the bus and opened fire, killing Wallerstein and Zenah, and wounding others. On February 22, 2001, Brash and accomplices stole a car and headed for Jerusalem, where they planned to shoot Israelis. They bypassed the A-Ram checkpoint using back roads leading to Dahiat al Barid, near Neve Ya'akov in Jerusalem. From there they headed towards Ma'aleh Adumim, and finally wound up at the French Hill intersection at 3 a.m. the following day. There, they spotted Roni Netanel waiting in his car for the traffic lights to change. In order to ensure Netanel was Israeli, they drove up near his car and the asked him in Hebrew for directions to reach the Old City. After Netanel responded, the Brash told him "here is what you deserve," and opened fire, shooting 15 bullets at Netanel's car. Netanel suffered gunshot wounds to the left shoulder, and shrapnel wounds to his upper body; he required prolonged hospital treatment. Brash was also involved in a number of shooting attacks against soldiers serving in the Ramallah area. Mohammed Romhi, 17, and Said Shalalda,19, were both members of the Hamas cell that abducted and subsequently murdered Sasson Nuriel in September. Romhi was indicted on three counts, including membership in an unauthorized organization, military training and intent to murder. Shalalda was charged on four counts, including membership in an unauthorized organization, carrying out service on behalf of the organization, and murder. According to the charge sheet, Shalalda stabbed Nuriel to death after cell members abducted him from his job in the Meshor Adumim industrial site. Both suspects were arrested by security forces a week after Nuriel's murder. Initially, the cell had planned to abduct Nuriel and demand the release of Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel. However, fearing they would be caught by security forces searching for Nuriel, they held him in a safehouse in Beituniya and murdered him.