Terror victim’s friends:
Druze will continue to serve Israel
Arab village of Maghar mourns death of IDF soldier Ihab Khatib,
murdered in West Bank Wednesday; ‘Despite discrimination, we’ll continue
to contribute to country whose existence we pray for,’ says Druze
mourner
Residents of the Arab village of Maghar are mourning the murder of
local IDF soldier Ihab Khatib Wednesday, and stressing that they will
continue to serve the state loyally despite discrimination against them.
Sergeant-Major Ihab Khatib, 28, from the Kfir Brigade, was knifed to
death at the Tapuach junction in the West Bank earlier Wednesday.
The killer, who was nabbed at the scene, served as a senior
Palestinian security officer.
Many residents arrived at the Khatib family home to comfort the
parents.
“Our village has sadly ‘contributed’ many soldiers to the security of
the State of Israel,” one of the visitors said.
“Even if there are disagreements among us, and despite the instances
of discrimination and oppression, we will all continue to enlist and
contribute to the country in which we live, and for whose continued
existence we pray.”
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3rd tragedy for family
The tragedy that befell the Khatib family was the third of its kind
within the past few years. Ten years ago Ihab’s uncle, an IDF officer,
was killed during an operation in the Jordan Valley.
Four years ago, during the Second Lebanon War, his aunt died when a
Katyusha rocket hit her home in Maghar, located in the eastern Galilee
region.
Saliman Khatib, Ihab’s uncle, told Ynet the family had learned of the
attack early on, but the victim’s identity was only revealed to them
later on.
“Ihab was a golden boy, very modest, who knew how to contribute to
the army as well as to his family,” he said. “This is a huge tragedy and
very difficult to digest.”
The soldier is survived by his parents, two brothers, and three
sisters. His funeral has not yet been scheduled, but it is expected to
take place tomorrow at the military cemetery in the village.