The Israeli army has detained the mother the Palestinian terrorist who killed three Israelis in the West Bank settlement of Halamish on Friday evening.
Ibtisam al-Abed, whose son Omar stabbed Yosef, Elad and Chaya Salomon to death during Shabbat dinner, was detained on charges of “aggravated incitement” on Tuesday. She had released a widely-shared video in which she praised the attack and said that she was proud of her son. She also distributed candies to neighbors in celebration of the attack and, according to an army statement cited by the Times of Israel, “called for attacks on Jews.”
In an interview with Haaretz, Ibtisam al-Abed stated that while her son’s actions were “not acceptable,” the "whole nation sees courage in his actions."
Omar al-Abed’s father also spoke to Haaretz, telling the Hebrew language daily that while he didn’t support killing, "the reason for my son’s action is bigger than anything else: Al-Aqsa, the holy place for all Muslims. Omar saw what was happening, the worshipers who were beaten, stopping the prayer. I blame the occupation."