Less than two hours before the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of three Israeli citizens and seriously wounded one more, 19-year-old Omar al-Abed from the West Bank village of Kobar wrote what he presumed would be his final words on Facebook.
With these final sentences, and expecting to die, he walked the short distance from his village to the West Bank settlement of Halamish and stabbed four people in their home.
“I am writing my last testament and these are my last words,” wrote Abed.
“I am young, not even 20 years old. I had many dreams and aspirations. But what life is this in which our women and our young are murdered without any justification? They are desecrating the Aksa Mosque and we are sleeping. It’s an embarrassment that we are idly sitting by.
“You, those who have a gun and who are worn out, you who only bring out your gun at weddings and celebrations, are you not ashamed of yourselves? Why are you not declaring war for God? Here they are closing al-Aksa and your gun is silent.
“All that I have is a sharpened knife, and it is answering the call of al-Aksa. Shame on you, you who preach hatred. God will take revenge on you and will make it count. All of us are the sons of Palestine and the sons of al-Aksa. You, sons of monkeys and pigs, if you do not open the gates of al-Aksa, I am sure that men will follow me and will hit you with an iron fist, I am warning you.”
Abed Aljaleel al-Abed, the father of the terrorist, said: “I have no idea about what happened and I am against any attack.” He spoke in Arabic in a video released to the media.
Absolving his son from the responsibility of having executed the attack, 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-Aksa Mosque.”
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 al-Aksa and the Dome of the Rock.