Grandfather of Palestinian attacker killed by Israeli settler in 1998: Newspaper

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - The grandfather of the Palestinian attacker who killed seven Israeli settlers Friday was stabbed to death by a settler 25 years ago, according to Israeli media on Saturday

Khairy Alkam, 21, was killed Friday after he attacked and killed Israeli settlers in a settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.

Alkam is from the Al-Tur area in East Jerusalem and was given the name of his grandfather, Khairy, after his death in 1998, according to the Haaretz newspaper

Sharhabil Alkam, Khairy's uncle, told Haaretz that Khairy carried out the attack in retaliation for the killing of Palestinian teen Mohammad Ali, 16, in the Shufat refugee camp.

Israeli police killed Mohammad on Wednesday for holding a gun but after shooting him, it appeared he was holding a toy gun.

Khairy's uncle said he was born four years after his grandfather was killed in Jerusalem.

He said 12 years after his death, Israeli security in 2010 arrested Haim Pearlman, an active member of the extremist and terrorist Kach group, on suspicion of being behind the grandfather's death.

Haaretz said Pearlman was close to current National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a radical figure in the Israeli government who tries to implement punitive policies against Palestinians.

Sharhabil Alkam added that Pearlman was arrested for a certain period before being released without any charges.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar