Rivlin visits homes of soldiers slain in Givat Assaf, praises their dedication

President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday visited the homes of the families of two soldiers killed in a terrorist shooting attack in the West Bank last week, as they mourned their fallen sons in the customary seven-day shiva period.

At the family home of Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef in Ashkelon, the president was told of the 20-year-old’s generosity and kindheartedness. He praised Mor Yosef as “a true hero who knew to hold on to his identity and to keep us safe, understanding that only we can protect our own home.”

He told the family he knew “how deep the pain is.”

Both soldiers were members of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Brigade. Rivlin said he’d met members of the unit on several occasions, most recently in a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony at his home.

“They are impressive and professional soldiers who share the burden, with total dedication, and maintain their identity and values without compromise,” he said.

At the home of Sgt. Yosef Cohen in Jerusalem, the president thanked Cohen’s stepfather for his comments on the need for Jewish unity, saying his words “touched my heart. One single fate put us here and we have to stand together in order to protect our country. We have the great honor to be parents and teachers of children like your son.”

Reminiscing about his experiences during the 1948 War of Independence, Rivlin said: “When we defended our homes there was not a single Jerusalemite who did not play his part. The shells fell in Rehavia and in Sha’arei Hesed and in Mea Shearim [neighborhoods] indiscriminately, and we stood as a protective wall to defend our homes, religious and secular.

“Today you are proving to us that we all know how to take part in defending our people, and at the same time to protect our identity.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday visited the Givat Assaf Junction in the West Bank where the two IDF soldiers were killed and vowed that the military would catch the perpetrators.

“The manhunt is in full force,” he said. “It is only a question of time.”

Mor Yosef and Cohen were posthumously promoted from the ranks of sergeant and corporal, respectively, after a Palestinian shot them dead in the attack outside the Givat Assaf outpost. A third soldier was critically injured in the shooting, and a civilian woman was seriously wounded although her condition later improved.

Many hundreds of people attended the two soldiers’ funerals Friday, and both were hailed as caring, giving individuals.

Thursday’s shooting came after a number of recent terror attacks, including a drive-by shooting last Sunday outside the Ofra settlement in which seven Israelis were injured. Among the wounded was a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered by an emergency C-section but later died.

The suspected shooter in that attack was killed Wednesday during an attempt to arrest him.

On Friday, a Palestinian assailant assaulted a soldier at an army post outside the Beit El settlement in the central West Bank, stabbing him and bashing his head with a rock before fleeing. He later turned himself in.

Jacob Magid and Michael Bachner contributed to this report.