Killer settler hangs himself in israeli jail
Sometimes, justice comes in ways you least expect it . . .
A Jewish settler who was jailed for life after killing four Palestinians in a shooting spree in the occupied West Bank committed suicide yesterday.
The murders in August 2005 were called an "act of Jewish terrorism" by then prime minister Ariel Sharon.
Israeli prison officials said Asher Weisgan, 41, used his phylacteries, leather straps that religious Jewish men don each day in prayer, to hang himself in his cell at the central Ayalon Prison.
"He left his prayer book open on the Kaddish page," Prisons Service spokeswoman Orit Steltzer said, referring to a traditional dirge for the dead.
Weisgan told investigators he killed the four West Bank labourers to provoke violent Palestinian retaliation. He hoped this would tie down Israeli troops and halt their removal of settlers from the Gaza Strip.
So typically israeli!
Weisgan was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault in September. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms and ordered to pay compensation to the families of those killed and injured.
I'll be the first to admit that it would have been infinitely better if he hadn't killed anyone - including himself.
But, given that he killed four innocent people - just for being Arab and in the hopes of instigating a wider conflict - I can only take a small measure of satisfaction in his own demise.
He finally got what he deserved. I'm only sorry that ordinary citizens didn't beat him to it.
Thanks for the post, Qrswave. This event wasn't covered much (if at all) by the Zionist-controlled US and Canadian media.
It's nice to hear a little good news for a change!
Usually settlers don't pay for their crimes. Maybe, because Israel needed to finally prove to the world that it does mete out punishment to its own, so they decided to punish this guy. Still, I am surprised.
and to think he will be tortured with that leather strap for eternity.