Widow Demands Removal of Monument to Husband's Killer

Leah Ziv-Perg, widow of Yaakov Perg, who was murdered in 1988 near the settlement of Har Bracha, has appealed to the GOC Central Command to remove a monument honoring her husband's killer. The appeal comes amid a broader IDF effort to dismantle monuments to terror supporters in the West Bank. Ziv-Perg stated that the monument to Hamdan al-Najjar, erected near the site of the murder, causes her and her children ongoing pain and disrespects Yaakov's memory.

In a letter to Aviv Bluth, the GOC Central Command, Ziv-Perg described the profound suffering endured by her family for over 37 years, emphasizing the additional anguish caused by the murderer's commemoration. "It is difficult to describe in words the feeling of a family whose loved one was murdered in a certain place, and a short distance away stands a monument commemorating the one who cut short his life," she wrote.

Yaakov Perg was killed in December 1988 while guarding land belonging to Har Bracha. After the murder, the assailant took Perg's weapon and continued to fire at IDF soldiers. Perg left behind a pregnant wife and young children. The family now seeks to end the commemoration of his killer, arguing that the monument's continued existence is a severe blow to Yaakov's memory and his family.

Ziv-Perg stressed that the demand extends beyond personal pain to the public message conveyed by honoring a murderer. The family requests the monument's demolition and that Yaakov Perg's memory be honored in its place. "A monument is a symbol. It conveys a message to future generations. What message do we want to convey to our children? Do we commemorate the one who took a life, or the person who was murdered defending his home, his land, and his family?" she asked.

MK Zvi Sukkot has joined the demand, urging the IDF to act swiftly. He stated that if monuments to terror supporters are being removed throughout the West Bank, there is no justification for leaving a monument to a Jewish man's murderer standing, especially at the site of the attack. Sukkot called for a systematic approach to dismantling such memorials, emphasizing the duty to honor victims and prevent the glorification of their killers.