Residents of Town That Hosted Terrorist Banned From Barkan Jobs

Residents of the village of Barukhin, where Omar Abu-Leila, the terrorist who killed Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, H”yd, and IDF Officer Gal Keidan, H”yd, in a terror attack near Ariel last week, have been banned from working at the Barkan Industrial Zone near Ariel.

The decision came after the Barukhin town council named a main street in the town after the terrorist. According to security officials, Abu-Leila fled to the village immediately after the terror attack, and stayed there for some time before leaving for another hiding place.

In addition, the IDF informed the family of Abu-Leila that their home is to be demolished. The family has the right to appeal the decision to the High Court. The IDF also confirmed to the family of Arafat Arfiya, who killed Ori Ansbacher H”yd in February, that their home is to be demolished, after their appeal was rejected by the court.

Footage of the attack at the Ariel Junction a week ago Sunday showed Abu-Leila grabbing a weapon from Keidan and shooting him at close range. Soldiers from across the road shot at the terrorist, and he was injured in the gunfire. Despite that, he was able to continue his rampage, shooting and mortally wounding Rabbi Ettinger – who drew his gun, but was unable to get off a shot before the terrorist shot him – and then stole a vehicle, which he used to drive to the Gitai Avisar Junction, where he shot and badly injured another soldier. Abu-Leila escaped, but was found and eliminated several days after the attack in a village near Ramallah.

Arfiya last month murdered Ansbacher in the Ein Ya’el Forest in Yerushalayim. Arfiya, 29, is a resident of Chevron, and was in Yerushalayim without a permit. Security officials said he left his home with a knife and made his way to Yerushalayim. He came across Ansbacher in the forest and murdered her. Security officials tracked him to a mosque in Ramallah, and from there to an abandoned building in the neighboring town of El Bireh, which he apparently had prepared for his escape.

Security officials entered the town, and under heavy attack by rioters throwing rocks and firebombs, arrested him. The IDF said that it expected both demolitions to take place by the end of March.

Commenting on the decision to ban workers from Barukhin, Shomron Council head Yossi Dagan said that the punishment was well deserved. “Terror cannot grow without support from the population. If this town supports terror, they will not work at the jobs we provide. We see no moral or security reason to give these people an opportunity to endanger our children, and get paid for it too.”