National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is demanding that legal proceedings be expedited against Kadri Samara, the terrorist who murdered Netanel Shakron in a shooting attack in Binyamin on the eve of Yom Kippur, and that the death penalty law for terrorists be applied to him.
In a letter to Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, Ben Gvir requested an explanation as to why an indictment has not yet been filed against Samara, despite approximately three weeks having passed since the attack. The minister argued that the circumstances of the case do not, in his view, justify the delay in legal proceedings.
According to Ben Gvir's letter, on September 20, Samara carried out a shooting attack near the Ein Raya spring, close to Neve Tzuf, in which Shakron, a resident of Alei Zahav, was murdered.
At the time of the shooting, Shakron was sitting in his vehicle alongside his eldest son, aged 16, who managed to escape unharmed. Shakron is survived by his wife and six children.
Following the attack, Samara fled the scene. Later that day, he was apprehended by soldiers from the IDF's Duvdevan unit at a hospital in Ramallah, where he was receiving treatment for gunshot wounds sustained at the scene of the attack.
Ben Gvir criticized the length of time that has passed since the arrest, arguing that there is no factual dispute or legal complexity in the case that would justify the delay.
"Every delay constitutes a reward for terrorism and undermines the State of Israel's deterrence," he wrote.
According to the minister, conducting a swift and efficient trial is a central tool in establishing deterrence against terrorism.
Against this backdrop, he demanded that the Military Advocate General promptly explain why an indictment against Samara has not yet been filed.
Ben Gvir further argued that Samara should be the first case in which the death penalty law for terrorists and the order enacted pursuant to it are applied.
According to the minister, the order mandates the death penalty for a Palestinian Authority resident who carries out a murderous terrorist attack, even if the prosecution does not request that the sentence be imposed.