Eliyahu Livman Consoles Family of Slain Soldier Beniya Malat and Reveals Personal Link to Terror Attack

Eliyahu Livman, former head of the Kiryat Arba council and Noam party candidate for the Knesset, visited the family of IDF soldier Beniya Malat, who was killed in a shooting attack last Friday. During his condolence visit, Livman disclosed a painful personal connection to the village of Tal, from which the attackers originated. He revealed that he is soon to attend a memorial for his brother, Shneur Shlomo Livman, who was murdered 28 years ago alongside Arel Ben Nun by terrorists from the same village. Livman stated, "We have a shared grievance, the Malat family and ours, with the village of Tal." He noted that the terrorists who killed his brother were arrested but later released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and were involved in subsequent murders, including of a relative named after his father.

Livman sharply criticized Israel's counterterrorism policies, arguing that a stronger response immediately after his brother's murder could have prevented further victims. "If Tal had been destroyed then, we could say my brother and Arel were the last victims," he said. He called for imposing a heavy price on terrorism and establishing a new settlement in memory of Beniya Malat and his commander Yuval Ezra, emphasizing, "Their blood must not be in vain."

Despite his criticism, Livman offered words of encouragement to the Malat family, sharing that even after 28 years, the pain of losing his brother remains. He stressed that the entire Israeli nation shares in their grief and urged continuing Beniya’s path with faith, courage, and unity.