Israeli police say they have arrested three suspects in the early January murder of a prominent Christian leader. Police suspect that the motive for the murder was a dispute over church-owned real estate. Gabriel Cadis, 56, an Arab Christian and the newly appointed head of Jaffa's Orthodox Church Association, was stabbed in the back during a procession marking Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 6 by a man wearing a Santa Claus costume. The police suspect that one of the three suspects, Cadis' predecessor as head of the Orthodox Church Association T'lal Abu Mana, had ordered the hit, and the other two suspects carried it out. The three, all residents of Jaffa, have denied the charges. According to police, the victim was apparently trying to regain control of a $2.7 million building belonging to the Orthodox church, where the suspects were residing illegally. They suspect that the murder was motivated by Cadis' election as head of the Orthodox Church Association and his attempts to return millions of shekels in property to the organization. Thousands marched in Jaffa's Christmas parade on Friday, Jan. 6. The Orthodox, who follow the Julian calendar, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. At the conclusion of the parade, which ended near Saint George's Church, Cadis began walking south on Jaffa Road toward his home, accompanied by Tel Aviv Municipality Arab Venture Division head Ahmada Blacha. Blacha recounted the event afterward: "On the way home we shook hands with those who greeted us and talked about how the carnival was going to be quite a sight. We talked about mass and Saturday's planned events, and we were in high spirits," Blacha said. The stabbing took place near the customs building on Yehuda Hayamit road. "I heard Gabi yelling 'ay!' and then saw him about to fall. He passed me, said, 'they stabbed me!' and fell forward, landing with his hands on the road. I was still not sure what happened and gave him a hand because I thought he tripped on something, but then I saw the blood on his back, and the pool of blood," Blacha said. Blacha immediately alerted the police but, according to his testimony, when they did not immediately arrive, he himself rushed Cadis to Edith Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. "When we saw that Gabi was losing consciousness and the situation was becoming dire we put him in a passing car and took him to the hospital ourselves," he recalled. The investigation was carried out by the central unit of the Israel Police Tel Aviv Division, headed by Superintendent Eddy Pleener and Chief Superintendent Yoav Kotler. The two led a team of 13 investigators who began by interviewing witnesses, gathering photographs from before and after the parade and developing a theory on the motive: an old dispute between Cadis and Abu Mana, Cadis' brother in law. Cadis had apparently defeated Abu Mana in the election for the association's leadership by a significant margin. The investigation revealed that a real estate dispute had flared up between Cadis and Abu Mana. Members of the Abu Mana family live in a building in Jaffa worth NIS 10 million ($2.7 million). Cadis claimed that the building belongs to the Orthodox Christian Association and wanted to sell the properly. A week before the murder, members of the Abu Mana family learned during a court hearing that Cadis had conducted a comprehensive investigation and presented prima facie evidence that the property belongs to the Association and the family must evacuate the property. Following that same investigation, according to police, tempers flared and T'lal Abu Mana arranged for his cousin, Fouad Ben Jamal Abu Mana, 26, and Taufik Dalu, 25, to murder Cadis. During the procession, when most participants arrived at Saint George's Church in Jaffa, Cadis made a speech and then the lights were turned off. Abu Mana and Dalu were supposed to take advantage of the commotion at this point and stab the victim in the back. Although it was supposed to happen a number of times, Cadis stood with his back to metal barriers, initially preventing the assassination. The perpetrators, according to police, had an alternative plan. Following the event, when Cadis was on his way home, Fouad and Taurik took advantage of his exposed back to stab him and then fled west toward the sea. They left behind them a trail of false evidence as well, making it look as if the murderer had fled eastward, in the opposite direction. The Abu Mana family, according to investigators, were expecting the police at their house and even prepared their alibi and defense. The different family members' stories did not match up, however, and police later found evidence suggesting that T'lal had masterminded the assassination, while Fouad and Taufik allegedly carried out the murder itself. The suspects deny any connection to the murder, claiming that they were not even in the area when it happened, but actually at home, preparing for the holiday. They maintain that police are relying on circumstantial evidence only, since they do not have the murder weapon or any eyewitnesses. A police spokesperson said Tuesday that they were satisfied with the evidence in this case, and that the community of Jaffa had been immensely helpful in gathering the proof. "The public assisted greatly with the investigation," the spokesperson said. Tel Aviv Central Unit Police Commander Gadi Eshed said on Tuesday, "We are talking about a man who was working to protect the assets of the organization and we believe this is why he was murdered; it is connected both to T'lal Abu Mana's candidacy for head of the organization and his loss [to Cadis]. I am glad the residents of Jaffa understood the gravity of this case, cooperated with us and helped quite a bit with the investigation." Kamal Agbaria, chairman of Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood, said on Tuesday, "My heart aches over this dispute, but only after the trial will we know if they [the Abu Mana family] are truly guilty. One thing is for sure: I hope that it will turn out that the murder was not originally planned to be carried out in the church itself."
