JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two Palestinians were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an American hiker stabbed to death near Jerusalem.
Kristine Luken and her hiking partner Susan Kaye Wilson were attacked Dec. 18, 2010 while hiking at Khirbet Hanut, an archaeological site near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Wilson pretended to be dead and survived the attack; she provided descriptions of the attackers. Kifah Ghanimat and Ibrahim Ghanimat confessed to the attack.
Kifah Ghanimat was ordered to serve two life sentences and an additional 60 years in prison, while Ibrahim Ghanimat was ordered to serve one life sentence and an additional 16 years.
The former also was convicted of the murder of a 53-year-old woman from Zichron Yaakov one year ago. He is believed to be the head of a Palestinian terror cell that has been accused of weapons trafficking and other crimes.
