After 13 years, Jewish settler gets 15 years in prison for manslaughter

Originally from Germany, Yehoshua Elitzur was convicted in 2005 of killing a Palestinian and fled to Brazil. After being extradited to Israel he was finally sentenced on Wednesday.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: MAY 10, 2018 02:48
Man in handcuffs - illustrative (photo credit: INGIMAGE / ASAP)
Man in handcuffs - illustrative
(photo credit: INGIMAGE / ASAP)
After 13 years of running away from the law, Yehoshua Elitzur was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for killing a Palestinian taxi driver in 2005.
In 2005, Elitzur was convicted of killing Sael Jabara al-Shatiya.
Elitzur, who had made aliya from Germany, was then living in Itamar, near Nablus.
Shatiya was from Salim, also near the West Bank city.
Elitzur shot and killed Shatiya using an M-16 rifle as the victim was driving with passengers in his taxi. According to the verdict written by Judge Zvi Gurfinkel, Elitzur shot his victim for no reason and ignored pleas by the passengers to call for medical help.
Elitzur fled the country before sentencing and was arrested in Sao Paulo in 2015, thanks to the work done by the Israeli Police’s international division.
The Brazilian Supreme Court green-lighted the extradition in January 2018.
“I’m satisfied that my father’s killer is going to prison,” said Shatiya’s daughter Yasmin. She expressed hope that he would “learn how precious human life is” while behind bars.