The family of Netanel Arami, a Jewish construction worker who was murdered by Arab coworkers in September 2014, have turned to the new police chief Roni Alsheich asking him to “bring in new energy” to renew the investigation of the still unsolved murder.
Arami’s death was only recognized as a terrorist attack in November 2014 after much public protest; he was murdered while working on a building in Petah Tikva when his two rappelling ropes were cut by Arab workers, who were found laughing at the site. Arami’s mother Miriam told Arutz Sheva last month the family is furious that those arrested over her son’s murder have been released.
Attorney Menashe Yado, who has worked with the family since the murder on behalf of the Honenu legal aid organization, turned to Alsheich, expressing the family’s feeling that the investigation is not advancing as it should.
“My office represents the couple Uziel and Miriam Arami on behalf of the Honenu organization,” wrote Yado. “The couple lost their son Roi Netanel Arami hy”d in the rappelling attack on September 16, 2014.”
“A few months ago the parents, accompanied by me, met with the Sharon district commander and the head of the special investigation unit. The meeting was held at the request of the parents who wanted to know if there are developments in the investigation and how it is advancing,” he wrote.
The meeting was also meant “to get answers to several questions, like did the police properly try to catch the terrorists at the site of the murder, why Netanel hy”d wasn’t buried as a terror victim, and many other question marks on the conduct of the police, according to the family.”
“A lack of proportion”
Yado emphasized that the Arami family left the meeting with a feeling of confidence in the commander of the investigation team and the district commander, who “promised to do all they could.”
“However, at the same time, my clients live with fears that time will cause the awful murder to be forgotten, and that all (intelligence) gathering sources won’t be deployed with maximal alertness to locate the needed evidence to incriminate the murderers.”
“We hang hopes on you that with your entry to the role of police commissioner you will bring in new energy to the investigation that will lead to the finding and trial of the murderers,” Yado wrote Alsheich.
“Therefore I turn to you in the name of my clients and personally ask that you get involved in the investigation and see what is in your power to do, whether in terms of the evidence that was already found, or activities and renewed consideration to locate additional evidence.”
Explaining the request, the attorney wrote, “in recent months we saw how the security, policing and enforcement authorities crossed all accepted lines until now, in order to crack a case of nationalist murder against Arabs,” in reference to the controversial Duma arson investigation.
“Unfortunately in the case of the murder of Netanel Arami hy”d we haven’t seen such a wide recruitment of the establishment to find the murderer or murderers, who are still free. I am sorry to say that sometimes precisely in the state of Israel there is no proportion in terms of the public outcry and the activities by the authorities, between the deciphering of the murder of an Arab by a Jew and the murder of a Jew by an Arab.”
