Body in a Well Near Rehovot: Doctor, Four Brothers Arrested for Murder of Sister in 'honor killing'

A gag order was lifted on Thursday on the arrests of five brothers from Lod who are suspected of murdering their 19-year-old sister in the name of family honor.

The young girl, Rim Abu Ganem, was killed after her brother Suliman, a 33-year-old pediatrician at Assaf Harofeh Hospital, allegedly gave his brothers an anesthetic with which to drug her. According to the suspicions against them, her brothers, whose ages range from 20 to 33, choked her to death after she fell asleep. Rim's body was found two weeks ago in a well near Rehovot.

Rim had fallen in love a few months earlier with a Palestinian man, despite attempts by her family to betroth her to a resident of Lod. She insisted on maintaining her relationship with the Palestinian man, and ran away from home for a few days.

Police sources say that after Rim returned to Lod, police officers warned her that her life was in danger, and referred her to a women's shelter. She refused, however, and was killed shortly thereafter.

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Doctor, 4 brothers arrested for murder of sister in 'honor killing'. Haaretz.com (6 April 2006) [FullText] [Report 2][Report 3]