Asher Weisgan

Case identification

• Name: Asher Weisgan
• Birth–death: 1966 – December 22, 2006
• Nationality/occupation: He was an Israeli bus driver.

The offence

On 17 August 2005, Asher Weisgan shot and killed four Palestinians and injured two others in the West Bank settlement of Shiloh. The shooting rampage occurred while he was giving Bassam and Usama Tawafsha and another victim a lift home from work.

Weisgan stole a security guard's gun and opened fire, shooting four Palestinians several times. After reloading, he sought out and shot a fifth victim at his work-place.

The court described the killings as executed with premeditation and in cold blood. The court also ruled that the murders were “savage murder of innocents”.

Victims

Weisgan’s victims were:

• Khalil Muhammad Ra'uf Saleh Wleiwel
• Ahmad 'Ali Hassan Mansur
• Bassam Mussa Ahmad 'Odeh Tawafshah
• Osama Mussa Ahmad 'Odeh Tawafshah

In addition, another man was wounded.

Motivation and stated intent

Weisgan wanted to disrupt the Israeli Government's unilateral disengagement plan in Gaza by sparking a Palestinian reaction. The prosecutors described Weisgan’s hope as using the attack to stop the pullout by forcing redeployment of Israeli troops from Gaza to the West Bank to quell unrest.

Before entering a courthouse outside of Tel Aviv, he declared:

“I'm not sorry for what I did. I hope someone also kills Sharon.”

At his court hearing the day after the killings, he said:

“I am not sorry for what I have done... and I hope someone murders Sharon as well,”

After sentencing, it was stated that Weisgan said he had no regrets and that his actions were a “necessary defence” of the Israeli people. He also expressed the hope that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would be assassinated.

Background relationships

Weisgan lived in Shvut Rachel and had known Bassam and Usama Tawafsha from the neighbouring Palestinian hillside village of Sanjal for eight years. It was stated that they had worked together and had used to eat together, and that Weisgan used to ask for their food to take to his wife. It was also stated that they considered him a friend.

A neighbour, Ataf Radi, said:

“Our relationship with him was far better than you could imagine. No one could have expected this.”

Mark, a security officer who preferred not to give his surname, said:

“I hope that the people around us realise that this is the act of a madman, that it does not reflect Shilo or Shuvat Rachel”

Mark also said:

“All of our people are incredibly shocked - blown away - by what happened yesterday... These were guys who I knew, who I liked. I considered them my friends.”

Mark said:

“I think his mind just snapped, because of the history of violence in the area and because of what they presently call the disengagement,”

Investigation and capture

After the killing spree, Weisgan either turned himself in to or was overpowered by security guards at the settlement.

Trial

On September 12, 2006, an Israeli court convicted Asher Weisgan of killing four Palestinians in a West Bank shooting spree the previous year, described as part of a bid to stop Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip.

The Jerusalem district court convicted Weisgan of murder, attempted murder and serious attempt to harm, prosecutors said. The conviction was for the killing of the Palestinian laborers on Aug. 17, 2005.

The panel of three judges said in its ruling:

“The preservation of life is not done through the spilling of blood,”

Sentencing

On 27 September 2006, a panel of three judges sentenced Weisgan to four consecutive terms of life in prison—for each person he killed—plus an additional twelve years in jail.

The court also ordered him to pay:

• NIS 228,000 in damages to each of the families of the four people killed
• NIS 100,000 to another man who had been wounded

The panel ruled:

“Every one of the victims had a name and an identity... They were the immediate victims of the convicted man's actions and he must be punished for the murders of each and every one of them. It was a savage murder of innocents, who fell victim to the twisted logic of the accused.”

Outcome

Weisgan was convicted and sentenced as described. On December 22, 2006, he committed suicide by hanging himself in prison.

Aftermath and community reaction

In the aftermath, Usama's wife Aisha called for revenge against Israel, the settlers and the then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, saying:

“When one of them kills us they say he is crazy, but if an Arab does that to a settler the whole world is up in arms saying he's a terrorist.

They had worked with him (Weisgan) for eight years. They used to say how decent he was, how they used to eat together, how he used to ask them for our food to take to his wife.”

On the steep hillside of Sanjal, Ziyad Sabri said:

“It could happen anytime.

Sometimes they come in the night and attack our homes. You are ready for them, you are not armed like them, but you always have a rock or a stick handy.”

Timeline

• 17 August 2005 — Weisgan shot and killed four Palestinians and injured two others in the West Bank settlement of Shiloh.
• 17 August 2005 — The killing spree occurred while Weisgan was giving Bassam and Usama Tawafsha and another victim a lift home from work.
• September 12, 2006 — The Jerusalem district court convicted Weisgan of killing four Palestinians.
• 27 September 2006 — Weisgan was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life in prison and an additional twelve years in jail.
• December 22, 2006 — Weisgan committed suicide by hanging himself in prison.