Israel's President Visits Families of Slain Security Guards

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli President Reuven Rivlin paid condolence calls Wednesday to the families of Or Arish, 25, and Youssef Othman, 24, two of the three fatalities in Tuesday's terror attack at Har Adar. The third fatality was 20-year-old Border Police officer Solomon Gavriya.

Rivlin told the Arish family he'd come to express his personal thanks and that of the nation, "for the lives of men, women and children their sons had saved."

On a personal level, Rivlin told them his grandson was in school at Har Adar when the shooting took place.

"My grandson is a neighbor [and] was at the school in Har Adar, and your son prevented the terrorist from reaching the school," Rivlin said. "Your son fell preventing a terrorist from harming the citizens of the town. He was defending his own home and the homes of all of us."

The president told the two brothers and sister of Or Arish to be strong for their parents. Speaking with the slain guard's grandmothers, Rivlin said,
"My heart is broken, also as a grandparent. We are here with you and share you inconceivable pain."
 
In the Israeli Arab town of Abu Ghosh, just outside Jerusalem, the president told the parents and siblings of Youssef Othman, "I pray, together with you, that this house will from now on only know happier times. I pray that as a country we will stop just talking about the bond of blood between Jews and Muslims and instead we will hold sacred the bond of life.

"Here in Abu Ghosh there is a bond of life," Rivlin said. "I came to share in your terrible grief and to say how much we appreciate your sons who truly with their bodies…defended the grandchildren of so many people, among them also my grandson."

Othman's father told the president, "We chose life, clear and simple. We chose this people. This is our people without a doubt," he said, speaking of the Jewish people. "We want to offer our support to the other families. We should not only be together in grief, but also in life."

In related news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau met Wednesday with U.S. special envoy Jason Greenblatt, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer.

Netanyahu spoke of the Palestinian Authority's refusal to condemn Wednesday's terror attack and its threats to take Israel to the International Criminal Court at The Hague. He also said the U.N.'s decision to extend membership in Interpol to the Palestinians violates signed agreements with Israel, adding that the P.A. leadership's actions "severely impairs the changes of achieving peace" and saying its "diplomatic warfare would not go unanswered."
 
Rivlin also said the decision "will harm Interpol's ability to fight international terror."

"This is not a decision based on professional need. It is absolutely a political decision. It is very sad that the Palestinians have been able to politicize another professional body as part of their campaign to undermine peace talks and delegitimize Israel."