Police Response at Yeshiva Questioned, Off-Duty IDF Officer Kills Terrorist

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Commentary;

The trail of governmental irresponsibility and malfeasance inevitably passes through the Internal Security Ministry which holds command of Israel’s police force. Although police officers arrived on the scene within minutes of commencement of terrorist gunfire, they hesitated for a crucial 10 to 15 minutes before entering with the result being a presumably greater loss of life.

It took a courageous off-duty soldier who, by side-stepped police, entered the Yeshiva building and ended the tragedy by killing the terrorist. MB

Police Probe Response to Jerusalem Attack, by Rebecca Anna Stoil (Jerusalem Post)

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As the investigation into the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva terror attack entered its third day Sunday, more questions than answers remained concerning the incident and concerning police handling of the crucial first minutes after the shooting began.

Jerusalem police have launched a probe into the police response to the shooting attack in the yeshiva.

Eyewitnesses have said that it took between 15-20 minutes for police to actually enter the building. Ultimately, the first two police officers to arrive did not enter the yeshiva, despite hearing the gunshots.

Instead, one apparently ran down the street to prevent a bus that was traveling to the building to draw close, and a second said that he stood outside to prevent civilians from entering.

In the end, it was an off-duty IDF officer, Capt. David Shapira, who ran past police officers standing outside and entered the building to neutralize the terrorist.

No conclusions have been reached yet in the police inquiry.

Police chief Insp.-Gen. David Cohen ordered police forces across the country to maintain the high level of alert they have been on since Thursday’s terror attack.

Meanwhile, around 20 police officers raided the mourning tent outside of the family house of Ala Abu Dhaim, where family members, neighbors, and supporters had been gathering since Friday morning. The police handed Abu Dhaim’s father a list of arrest orders for other family members, whom police hoped might shed a light on the events that led up to the deadly attack.

No terror group has conclusively asserted responsibility for the shooting, and it is still unclear where Abu Dhaim procured the weapons and ammunition used in the attack. In recent days, partial claims, or hints of responsibility have come from Hamas, Hizbullah, and a Hizbullah-allied Israeli Arab organization known as the “Galilee Free Men.”

A police search of his car, which was confiscated for investigation by police, revealed ammunition and other items that police believe to be suspicious. On Saturday night, police announced that they had arrested eight suspects in connection with the terror attack.

On Sunday morning, in accordance with police orders, the family removed Hamas and Hizbullah flags they had hung on the mourning tent.

Abu Dhaim’s body has yet to be turned over for his family for burial, and on Sunday, the National Insurance Institute (NII) confirmed its decision that the killer’s parents were not entitled to benefit payments for their son’s death. The NII also decided to withhold burial assistance.

Jerusalem Police Chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco had said that Abu Dhaim was not “known” to the security forces, but neighbors of the Abu Dhaim family said that he had been detained by security services around four months ago, although it was not clear for what.

An Officer and a Hero, by Rebecca Anna Stoil (Jerusalem Post)

Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi: “In your actions you brought expression to the values of the spirit of the IDF. You demonstrated personal leadership, determination, calmness, bravery and pursuit of your enemy until he was neutralized.”

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As the tragic events of Thursday began to become more clear, it became increasingly obvious that the hero of the evening was Paratroopers Capt. David Shapira, a father of two young children who proved to be the right man in the right place during the bloody attack.

Shapira was supposed to have been at his base, but he left to perform errands for his battalion, trading places with another officer for the weekend.

The 29-year-old operations officer in the 890th Battalion had just bathed his children, and had put one of them to sleep when he heard explosions coming from the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva across the street.

Although he first thought the noise was from pre-Purim firecrackers, he quickly realized that the explosions were gunshots. Grabbing his service weapon, he ran out of the house toward the yeshiva where he himself had studied.

At the entrance to the yeshiva in the capital’s Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, Shapira ran into a group of police officers who were standing outside the building, listening to the gunshots from inside. They warned him not to go in, but Shapira pushed them aside and entered.

The officer tracked the terrorist to the library, and, according to his own account, got within two to three meters of his target. Shapira shot 16 bullets at the terrorist, immediately neutralizing him.

And then – like any good officer – Shapira notified his commander. He called the head of the 890th Battalion, and informed him that he had neutralized the terrorist – and was searching the area to make sure that other terrorists had not taken cover in the building.

And with that – at least from the perspective of the young officer – his role was over. He and his wife, Hodaya, who is in the late stages of pregnancy, planned a quiet weekend together.

But on Friday, Shapira received a phone call from an admirer with roots deep in the Paratrooper’s longtime rival, the Golani Brigade.

Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi called to express his admiration for Shapira’s actions – and to hear firsthand an account of the events of the night before.

Ashkenazi expressed admiration for the “fast and correct” way in which the captain responded to the attack, adding that this is how he expects “any officer to behave, whether in his unit, on the roads or on leave.”

“In your actions,” Ashkenazi told Shapira, “you brought expression to the values of the spirit of the IDF. You demonstrated personal leadership, determination, calmness, bravery and pursuit of your enemy until he was neutralized.”