Stab victim hailed as hero by Netanyahu
JERUSALEM • Americanborn Israeli citizen Ari Fuld, who was killed Sunday in what Israeli authorities said was a terrorist attack, was hailed as a hero by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who paid a surprise visit to his grieving family in the hours before he was laid to rest.
Fuld, 45, who immigrated to Israel from New York in 1994, was a resident of the Israeli settlement Efrat and a well-known pro-Israel activist, prominent on online forums and in the media.
He was stabbed to death Sunday outside a supermarket at a busy intersection in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that in recent years has become synonymous with such deadly attacks. Paramedics said he bled out at the scene and died on the way to hospital, even after giving chase and shooting at his 17-year-old assailant.
The attack was caught on security cameras.
Fuld’s killer was identified as Halil Yousef Ali Jabarin from the nearby Palestinian village of Yatta. He was shot and wounded by a civilian guard. Elders from Jabarin’s village said his mother tried to warn the Israeli authorities but arrived at a military checkpoint minutes too late.
In addition to Netanyahu and a host of other Israeli politicians, thousands turned out to attend his funeral late Sunday at the Israeli settlement of Kfar Etzion.
A father of four, Fuld was assistant director at Standing Together, a non-profit organization providing support for Israeli soldiers. He also regularly engaged in advocacy for Israel known as hasbara, which means “explanation,” but which Israel’s critics describe as manipulative propaganda.
Last Thursday, he tweeted that he was gearing up for a U.S. speaking tour touted as “four keys to destroy all anti-Israel propaganda.” It was his job, he wrote in another post, “to expose the lies about Israel.”
Posting a photo of his meeting with Fuld’s family, Netanyahu tweeted: “I met with the wonderful parents and siblings of the great Israeli hero Ari Fuld. I embraced them in the name of the whole nation of Israel during this terrible time. We owe our lives to heroes like Ari. We must always remember him.”
Fuld’s killing also drew condolence comments from U.S. officials. American Ambassador to Israel David Friedman tweeted: “America grieves as one of its citizens was brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist. Ari Fuld was a passionate defender of Israel & an American patriot. He represented the best of both countries & will be deeply missed. May his family be comforted & his memory be blessed.”
His death also stirred controversy. Critics of Israel debated it on social media, notably his choice to live in the settlement area known to Israelis as Gush Etzion. Some agreed with a critic who tweeted, “An armed settler is a fair target.”