Renna Schnarb's Brother Says Murder Trial Has Been Delayed for Nearly Seven Years
Nearly seven years after Renna Schnarb was murdered in a terror attack near Dolev, the trial of the killers has still not been completed. Her brother, Dvir Schnarb, who was seriously wounded in the same attack, described what he called a shocking legal delay in the proceedings.
Schnarb said the cell that carried out the killing had about 100 additional accomplices in varying roles, including some who supplied explosives and others who provided money to buy materials. He said some of those supporters have already been released in hostage deals over the years. The case he is focusing on involves the four perpetrators of the attack itself, including one who drove them away from the scene, while the other three set up an observation post above the spring, waited for Jews to arrive, and detonated the bomb that killed Renna.
According to Schnarb, the cell was caught days after the attack thanks to intensive work by the Shin Bet and the military, and their interrogation helped prevent several other attacks from being carried out. He thanked the security forces for that work. Since the arrests, however, the trial has dragged on for almost seven years, with hearings on seemingly marginal and partly secret issues, such as which relatives may enter the courtroom, whether defense counsel who has not read the indictment can delay proceedings, and requests to postpone hearings because of holidays.
He said the delay is not only costly financially, but also worsened by the fact that military prosecutors and judges change when their service ends. Schnarb argued that the military court is treating the case like an ordinary legal dispute, with two sides and debates over every detail, even though this is another battlefield. He urged the public to attend the open hearings and see the “absurdity” for themselves, and said special legislation is needed for trials of terrorists, including a ban on allowing their family members to fill the courtroom.
