Ari, as he was aptly named, fought terrorism to his last breath.
On September 16, 2018, while outside of an Israeli shopping mall, Ari Fuld was attacked by a Palestinian terrorist who ambushed him from behind and stabbed him four times in the back. "A lowly terrorist came up behind him, and in a cowardly way stabbed him," Lior Shurka, a friend of the victim, described to TPS news agency.
Ari fought back. With gaping stab wounds in his back, he ran after the fleeing terrorist and shot him, effectively "neutralizing" the attacker, according to Israeli police. Another armed civilian assisted Ari and also shot the terrorist.
The name Ari translates to "lion" in Hebrew, "eagle" in Old Norse, and "brave" in Armenian. It is a name fit for a hero. Ari Fuld lived up to his name. Ari's heroic actions stopped the terrorist from hurting anyone else.
Contrary to VICE magazine's assertions that "good guys with a gun" don’t exist, armed Ari was definitively good. As was the armed good samaritan, who assisted.
Sadly, Ari did not survive the stab wounds.
"He lived as a hero and died as a hero," wrote Ari's brother, upon learning that the latest terrorist act in Israel claimed Ari's life. “Who else could manage upon sustaining a fatal [stabbing] injury, to draw his pistol, jump a fence and shoot his attacker to make sure that his attacker would not hurt anyone else; only my brother, only my brother,” he eulogized at a chapel the next day.
Thousands came to say goodbye to Ari and to celebrate his heroism. Arsen Ostrovsky, a leading pro-Israel advocate who knew Ari, stated: "In many ways, he went out the only way he knew - fighting to the very end, running after the Palestinian terrorist, even after being stabbed and bleeding to death. With his last breath, Ari managed to discharge his pistol & neutralize the assailant. In doing so, Ari saved many more lives. He lived like he died, a hero!"
Israel is no stranger to terrorist attacks. Bombings, fires, shootings, car attacks, stabbings, and attempts at all of these, are a common, sometimes daily, occurrence. This is part of the Palestinian movement's Islamic Jihad on Israelis. Stabbings have been the most common means of terror execution in Israel over the past few years. Earlier this summer, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed an 18-year-old young woman, seriously wounding her. Most shockingly, in 2016, a 13-year-old girl was stabbed to death in her bedroom while she slept, by a Palestinian terrorist who broke into her home to kill the Jewish family inside. In 2016, 141 terror stabbings were carried out, 84 of them successfully. That year, 196 total Palestinians terror attacks against Israelis were recorded.
Palestinians are heavily rewarded for their terrorism by the Palestinian Authority, their allegedly "peaceful" governing body. Ari's terrorist is expected to be paid approximately USD 1.7 million via a monthly stipend given to him by the Palestinian Authority, advised Arsen Ostrovsky, a renowned international human rights lawyer. The Palestinian Authority Martyr's Fund pays the stipend to terrorists through their 75th birthday. Up until this year, American taxpayers were funding the stipends for these celebrated terrorists. The Taylor Force Act, which ceased American economic aid to the Palestinian Authority because of the Martyr's Fund, was signed into law in March of this year by President Trump.
Ari Fuld was an American-born speaker, writer, and advocate for Israel. He dedicated his life to exposing anti-Israeli propaganda and speaking up against terrorism. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, tweeted: "America grieves as one of its citizens was brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist. Ari Fuld was a passionate defender of Israel & an American patriot. He represented the best of both countries & will be deeply missed. May his family be comforted & his memory be blessed." Ari was 45 years old, a husband, and a father of four. "He was always first and foremost a husband, a father and a devoted family man. His loss is an incredible tragedy for his family, his community and all of Israel," lamented Ostrovsky.
Ari will be missed but never forgotten. Ari died a hero.