Relatives of Palestinians Killed by Shin Bet Agent Call for Justice

Following an Israeli agent’s revelation that he crushed the skulls of two Palestinian captives, relatives of the dead men called Sunday for the officers involved to be brought to justice.

“We want a fair trial and punishment,” said Alam abu Jami, whose brother Subhi died after being taken prisoner in 1984 after a bus hijacking. “Nothing will compensate us.”

Ehud Yatom, 48, who is retiring from the Shin Bet intelligence service, told a newspaper last week that he killed the two men by crushing their skulls with a rock. Yatom said he was proud of what he had done.

News that the hijackers had died in custody, rather than during the storming of the bus as initially claimed, was first disclosed 12 years ago. The cover-up was exposed when a newspaper published photographs of the two men alive in custody.

Yatom’s interview in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper was the first time an individual involved in the deaths has come forward with details about them.

Yatom said the two hijackers were badly beaten by soldiers, Shin Bet agents and civilians before he got instructions from then-Shin Bet chief Avraham Shalom to kill them.