Settler Sentenced to 13 Years for Terror Killing of Aisha Rabi

A district court in central Israel has sentenced a young settler to 13 years in prison for the 2018 killing of Aisha Rabi, ruling the act constituted terrorism. The court also imposed a suspended sentence and ordered the defendant to pay NIS 258,000 in compensation to Rabi's family. The ruling came from the Central District Court, sitting as a juvenile court, on Wednesday.

The defendant, identified as a resident of the Benjamin region and 16 years old at the time of the incident, was convicted of throwing a roughly 2-kilogram stone at a vehicle with Palestinian license plates near the settlement of Rahalim in September 2018. Rabi, her husband, and their young daughter were traveling in the car. The court rejected the defendant's denial of involvement, noting that he had expressed regret.

In its sentencing, the judges weighed the severity of the act and its tragic outcome against the defendant's age at the time and the application of new legislation concerning unlawful killing. The court acknowledged the defendant's significant rehabilitation over the past seven years, his integration into a new environment, and his maturation, as detailed in probation service reports and presented testimonies.

The judges described the act as "criminal and cruel," emphasizing that Rabi, a mother of eight, was murdered before her then 9-year-old daughter. They stated that the killing, motivated by nationalism, added a significant layer of severity to the crime.