US-born Jewish terrorist receives two life sentences

Jack Tytell, an American-born Israeli Jew who was convicted in January of murdering two Palestinians and wounding two Israelis, was sentenced Tuesday by the Jerusalem District Court to two consecutive life sentences plus 30 years jail time, and was ordered to pay NIS 680,000 ($190,000) compensation to the victims’ families.

Tytell, in court to hear his sentence, expressed no regret and said that he was “proud” of his actions.

Tytell was arrested in 2009, and admitted to carrying out at least seven terror attacks that killed two Palestinians and injured three over the course of 12 years. Besides targeting Palestinians, the 40-year-old Florida native attacked Jews he suspected of missionary activity.

During his sentencing hearing in January, Israel’s state prosecution asked that Tytell be locked up “until the end of his days” and said that he “trampled, in his actions, every possible value human society is founded upon.”

At that hearing, the court rejected Tytell’s insanity plea, turning back psychiatric testimony on his behalf, and finding him accountable for the 10 crimes he had confessed to committing.

Tytell’s acts of incitement and calls to replace the State of Israel with a totalitarian Jewish monarchy, along with his calls for and encouragement of violence against those who didn’t share his views, were acts that “undermine the foundations of a democratic society,” prosecuting attorney Sagi Ofir also said.

Aaron Kalman contributed to this report.