Arafat Irfaiya, who is on trial for the nationalistically motivated rape and murder of 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher a year-and-a-half ago, confessed to the deeds in court on Sunday.
In a court appearance last December, Irfaiya refrained from admitting to the brutal attack, even though his lawyer acknowledged that his client had perpetrated them. When the judge asked Irfaiya if he wanted to make a confession, the defendant declined to respond.
Ansbacher’s body was discovered in the Ein Yael Forest southeast of Jerusalem on Feb. 7, 2019. Forensics determined that she had been raped and stabbed. Security forces mounted a manhunt for the killer, eventually arresting Irfaiya some 36 hours later in Ramallah.
The police found DNA evidence tying Irfaiya to the attack, which he also re-enacted during questioning.
This is an edited version of a story that first appeared in Israel Hayom.
