Bodies of Palestinian synagogue killers withheld from families

In what Haaretz has termed an "unprecedented" move, the Jerusalem District court has said it won't be releasing the bodies of the Abu Jamal cousins to their family, supposedly in order to deter future would-be terrorists.

The decision came in response to a request by the family of the men and is thought to be the first instance of its kind in Israeli legal history.

“We can’t commit to a certain date [for returning the bodies],” Chief Inspector Yigal Elmaliah told the court.

“There are two aspects, the investigative aspect, which the court has seen, and another aspect that I’m not sure I’m authorized to report. For this reason we are arguing that this isn’t the forum to discuss it. The State of Israel is trying to cope with the recent wave of attacks. One possibility being considered is not to return the bodies to the families, but [for the state] to bury them. The issue is being examined at the highest levels.”