Palestinian terrorist Omar al-Abed was sentenced to four life sentences for the murder of four members of the Solomon family in Halamish in July 2017.
Elad and Chaya Solomon, and their father, Yosef, were brutally killed by al-Abed after eating a traditional Friday-night meal at Yosef’s home, waiting for guests to arrive in celebration of the birth of a new grandchild. Al-Abed was also charged with the attempted murder of Yosef’s wife, Tova. Elad’s children and wife managed to avoid injury by hiding in a room during the attack.
Al-Abed was convicted of the murders two months ago.
“What’s my life worth when Al-Aqsa is being desecrated,” the 19-year-old wrote on Facebook hours before targeting and killing the family members, referencing a mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. “All of us are the sons of Palestine and the sons of al-Aqsa. You sons of monkeys and pigs, if you do not open the gates of Al-Aqsa, I am sure that others will follow me and will hit you with an iron fist. I am warning you.”
The attack came during a period of serious tensions over Israel’s installation of metal detectors at the entrance of the Temple Mount, following the killing of two Israeli police officers at the holy site.