Two members of an Arab terrorist cell were given life sentences by a Nablus military court Wednesday for the 1986 murder of Zafer Al-Masri, the Israel-appointed mayor of Nablus.
Masri was gunned down as he stepped from his car outside the city hall on March 2, 1986. The terrorists claimed two other victims, Albert Buchris, a civilian who ran the canteen at military government headquarters in Nablus, and Jamil Fares, a border policeman from Nablus.
One member of the military tribunal demanded the death penalty but was overruled by his colleagues. When the convicted terrorists were escorted from the court, they were attacked and beaten by several Israelis. Among them was Avraham Haba of Elon Moreh, whose 8-year-old son, Rami, has been missing for several months and is presumed to have been kidnapped and murdered by terrorists.
The Nablus military court will shortly hear the case of Ibrahim Zeid Rai, suspected leader of the terrorist cell responsible for Masri’s murder.
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