It was another run-of-the-mill morning for Saher Ismail, adviser to Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton. On Aug. 15, Ismail left his home in Kafr Rameh in the Galilee, said goodbye to his wife and six-year-old son, and got into his car to go to work. A few minutes later, he was mowed down by a hail of bullets.
Ismail, 50, was a familiar figure in the national political scene. His death left many unanswered questions, but most of all, it left people stunned. Who could have wanted to see a person like that dead? There was nothing unusual or suspicious about him. For years, he was a prominent Likud activist in the Arab society, and a close friend of Justice Minister Gideon Saar. Had he been threatened by criminals because of his ties to people in power. Were they trying to extort him? Only one thing was certain. His murder was planned well in advance.
