Zichronam l'vracha*

This is the eyewitness account of 17-year-old Ayelet Hashahar Dikstein, whose parents and younger brother were shot to death last Friday while in route to Havat Maon, south of Hebron, for the Sabbath. Ayelet had been asleep in the car. She woke up when the shooting began.

I saw a whole load of flashes, and only after a couple of seconds did I realize that they were shots. Dad was holding Mom's head which was pouring with blood. When the firing stopped, Dad got out of the car crying. On the other side of the road was an armed man. Dad thought it was a soldier come to help. He tried to talk to him, but the man loaded his rifle and fired at Dad.

...The terrorist came up to the car and looked at us. I remember his face well. I guess his magazine was empty because the shooting stopped. Another gunman threw another magazine at him which fell too far away. He apparently had to go over and get it because he went away and did not come back.

...We were all covered in blood and I thought the terrorist would come back and shoot us. Later I thought that maybe he hadn't noticed that we were still alive....I remember the gunman so well, he looked us straight in the eyes.

Yosef and Hannah Dikstein left nine surviving children, aged 18 months to 20 years. 9-year-old Shuv'el was murdered along with his parents.

Zvi Yehuda, the oldest son, spoke at the funeral:

You, Mom and Dad, who gave up your dreams for us, left your comfortable house and nearby place of work in [Jerusalem's] Givat Shaul to strengthen Psagot in these difficult days. You were murdered not in a gang war, nor in a car accident, nor for some sin that you committed. You were killed in daylight, in front of your children by an abominable murderer because you were Jews who lived as free people in your country.

This triple homicide, by the way, wouldn't have been covered by the alleged cease-fire that was supposedly scuttled by the assassination of Salah Shehada. The Diksteins weren't civilians. They were "settlers." And their slaughter occurred ourside the Green Line. Fair game under any interpretation of any cease-fire offered, promised or suggested by any palestinian group or leader to date.

*May their memories be a blessing.
Shabbat Shalom.