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Last update - 13:13 14/01/2007
Police hold rancher for murder over shooting of Bedouin
By Mijal Greenberg, Haaretz Correspondent

A Negev ranch owner, who shot and killed a Bedouin man and seriously wounded another as they were trying to break into his ranch, was kept in remand Sunday morning as prosecutors sought to charge him with murder.

The Be'er Sheva District Court extended the remand of the shooter, Shai Dror, by four days.

MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) said Sunday morning that the law should view resistance to domestic break-ins as self defense. Katz said he intends to submit to the Knesset a bill to that effect, in similiarity to the laws in some states in the U.S.

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The alleged burglar, Khaled al-Atrash, 31, died on the way to the hospital. A man who was with him is in intensive care.

Police say that Dromi did not have a license for the rifle used in the shooting. He will also be charged with an illegal possession of firearms and of shooting in a residential area.

Dromi's attorney told the court that he heard his dog bark, identified figures in the dark, meant to fire in the air but hit the burglars instead. Dromi said also that he used the firearm out of fear for his life.

On Sunday Dromi said that he regrets the loss of life, and that he did not intend his actions to end in death.

But police said they are not convinced by Dromi's story, and suspect he perpetrated the death intentionally. The police representative said that the investigation conducted so far reveals that Dromi's claim to self-defense is unreliable. However, no evidence against the suspect was presented at the court hearing Sunday.

The suspect's brother, Amir Dromi, said "this incident was foreseeable under the reality in which we live, of thefts on the one hand and lawlessness and the absence of law-enforcement on the other."

Dromi's mother Mira, who lives on the ranch, said the family "lives in fear," and that her son used to work during the day and guard during the night. According to her, she offered him to share guarding duty with him, but he refused.

At around 4 A.M. on Saturday, Negev police said they received a report from the security officer of the community of Metar of a shooting at the Shai ranch in the Yatir forest in the northern Negev. The ranch's owner, Shai Dromi, had called them, the officer said. "When we got there," Ilan Peretz, commander of the police in charge of the Negev's rural communities, said, "we found Magen David Adom treating the injured."

Shell casings, wire cutters and locks were found at the scene. Police said Dromi, who was very upset, was taken for questioning. At first he refused to cooperate with the police and asked for a lawyer.

He subsequently told police that he had fired at four figures who had come to the ranch to steal, and that his life had been in danger. He said the intruders had poisoned his dog and cut the locks on his sheep pen. The police are continuing to search for the two other individuals involved in the incident. Al-Atrash got out of jail a month ago after serving a four-year sentence for theft, including from farms.

Following the incident, heads of local authorities in the south, Shmuel Rifman and Pini Badash, said Dromi should not be blamed for the incident and that it had occured as a result of the helplessness of the police and the enforcement system. According to Rifman, thefts from farms are common in the south and very difficult to combat. "Just last month, he [Dromi] had a number of dogs killed at the ranch by intruders." Rifman said he had asked the public security minister to bring the subject up for discussion in order to find a solution.

Peretz said agricultural thefts were not as serious as described. He said there had been two previous complaints in 2006 of theft from the Shai ranch.

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  1.   Starve them then shoot them. Carter is right. 02:26  |  Rad 14/01/07
  2.   big problem in the negev 02:38  |  jon purizhansky 14/01/07
  3.   #1, how right U R 02:42  |  Human rights 14/01/07
  4.   STOP GIving PAL excuses 03:17  |  TOBIA 14/01/07
  5.   Apples and oranges #1, #3 03:48  |  William 14/01/07
  6.   #1 & 3. Arabs live better in Israel than in any Arab country 04:00  |  Marwan مروان خوري 14/01/07
  7.   hahaha OWNED! Try working for a change... 05:21  |  RA 14/01/07
  8.   #1 and #3 do you KNOW HOW YOU SOUND?? 06:45  |  Jon Feigenbaum 14/01/07
  9.   #5 William. Well put. I totally agree 06:48  |  Marwan مروان خوري 14/01/07
  10.   Rad 06:53  |  david morris 14/01/07
  11.   #1 Rad 07:21  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/07
  12.   Free Shai NOW! 07:22  |  Negev neigbor 14/01/07
  13.   #3 Human Rights - You`re justifying thievery 07:22  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/07
  14.   The sheep survived, the thief didn`t 07:24  |  Ibn Musa 14/01/07
  15.   Israeli "Warning" Shots always find their way INTO the warned 07:24  |  Guy From NYC 14/01/07
  16.   it happens there will always be theft 07:42  |  David G 14/01/07
  17.   Mercy for dog killers 08:44  |  Ilan 14/01/07
  18.   They don`t steal in Arab lands 08:59  |  Matt 14/01/07
  19.   Peretz lies as badly as the other Peretz 09:03  |  David Teich 14/01/07
  20.   Keeping things in context..... 10:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/01/07
  21.   Negev farmer killing thief kept in remand on murder charge 10:20  |  Gerald Zang 14/01/07
  22.   More killing...... 10:21  |  Esther 14/01/07
  23.   #15 At least they get a warning. 10:24  |  RA 14/01/07
  24.   Starve them then shoot them. Carter is right. 10:25  |  GZ 14/01/07
  25.   Matt #18 - Yes They Do. 10:26  |  Terry 14/01/07
  26.   #8 Well said. Instead of facing and solving their problems... 10:27  |  RA 14/01/07
  27.   Self-Defence Is NOT Murder 10:36  |  Yishai Kohen 14/01/07
  28.   #15, Guy from NYC 10:37  |  Avi 14/01/07
  29.   Ok, remand for Murder is harsh 10:38  |  David G 14/01/07
  30.   It was the middle of the night! 11:05  |  Yonatan 14/01/07
  31.   Since when is a farm area residential? 11:17  |  JonathanInTelAviv 14/01/07
  32.   Rad 11:45  |  Texan 14/01/07
  33.   Western Societies: punish the victim! 11:45  |  Fritz 14/01/07
  34.   Intruders, robbers, criminals 11:48  |  Isac 14/01/07
  35.   Esther #22 12:01  |  S 14/01/07
  36.   #6 you are wrong 12:43  |  sabbageorge 14/01/07
  37.   Enough coddling of criminals 14:40  |  Renee 14/01/07
  38.   Gerald Zang, well said 14:42  |  My Name 14/01/07
  39.   marwan # 6 14:45  |  dubious 14/01/07
  40.   swiss 20 15:05  |  Simple Tom 14/01/07
  41.   Metar-Yatir Bedoins 15:07  |  JewishHeart 14/01/07
  42.   Bedoin and Metar (2) 15:12  |  JewishHeart 14/01/07
  43.   # 40 Simple Tom 15:50  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/01/07
  44.   article on Bedoin thieves 16:02  |  Sue Golden Lerner 14/01/07
  45.   READ THE REPORT 16:02  |  BRITISH JEW 14/01/07
  46.   Broader Aspects - Lastenausgleich 16:06  |  BP 14/01/07
  47.   Swiss 16:12  |  Simple Tom 14/01/07
  48.   # 45 BRITISH JEW 16:41  |  Gerald Zang 14/01/07
  49.   #38 Gerald Zang, well said 16:48  |  Gerald Zang 14/01/07
  50.   He transgressed against Holy Cows of Israeli Lefties ,the Arabs 17:08  |  Absolute Sweden 14/01/07
  51.   One trial learning 17:11  |  Danny 14/01/07
  52.   A phenomenon NOT solely in the Negev 17:13  |  William 14/01/07
  53.   #15 - Guy from NYC (so he sez) 17:13  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/07
  54.   #31 Jonathan-T.A. 17:15  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/07
  55.   NOT A POLITICAL CRIME 17:44  |  Richard 14/01/07
  56.   what do you expect? 19:35  |  Shmuel 14/01/07
  57.   Was Dromi in the army? 19:54  |  Colin Wright 14/01/07
  58.   Jews are supposed to lay down and die 20:03  |  Pamela Joyce 14/01/07
  59.   #39. As in any country there are issues but not apartheid. 20:15  |  Marwan مروان خوري 14/01/07
  60.   #57 Colin Wrong 20:29  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/07
  61.   #48`s question 20:38  |  Gordon 14/01/07
  62.   #57 we all know that dromi will get off 20:42  |  yahn goodey 14/01/07
  63.   #61 In the U.S. it depends upon the individual 20:54  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/07
  64.   Don`t forget 21:40  |  JewishHeart 14/01/07
  65.   Culture Clash 21:44  |  JewishHeart 14/01/07
  66.   #6 you make a good point, 21:49  |  TOMY 14/01/07
  67.   TRY BREAKING AND ENTERING IN AMERICA 21:54  |  Jake 14/01/07
  68.   RA, speaking of hot houses 23:15  |  TOMY 14/01/07
  69.   Swiss(DINO) I have to hear the answer 23:29  |  TOMY 14/01/07
  70.   Usual digressions 00:33  |  Go 15/01/07
  71.   So Gordon, tell me 00:42  |  TOMY 15/01/07
  72.   #67 Jake - Try and understand 03:31  |  * BEN JABO 15/01/07
  73.   # 69 TOMY 08:26  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/01/07
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