Samaria Man Found Dead, Murder Suspected

Jerusalem, 4 October, 2017 (TPS) -- A 70-year-old Jewish man was found dead in an industrial zone in the Israeli-Arab town of Kfar Kassem on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they suspected murder and were carrying out a search for suspects who may have been in the area at the time of the incident.

The man was named as Reuven Shmerling from Elqana in northeastern Samaria. A statement put out by the settlement said it was “shocked by his killing at the hand of evil murderers.”

According to media reports, Shmerling employed Palestinian laborers at the site where his body was found. The reports claimed that one of the directions police were pursuing is that Shmerling was beaten to death by his laborers following a dispute over money.

A neighbor described Shmerling as a “charming man with a wonderful family” who served as a cantor at his local synagogue.