Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday sentenced a Jewish terrorist to four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 12 years in prison for murdering four Palestinian men.

Asher Weisgan was convicted on September 11 of murdering four Arab workmen and wounding a fifth at a factory in the West Bank settlement of Shilo where they all worked, the day before the implementation of the Gaza disengagement plan in August 2005.

The victims of the terror attack were Mohammed Mansour, 48; Bassem Tuwafshe, 30; Khalil Alulwil, 42; and Osama Tuwafshe, 33.

Weisgan, a settler from Shvut Rachel, said his objective had been to prevent the disengagement from proceeding.

The court also ruled Wednesday that Weisgan must pay more than one million shekels in compensation to the families of his Palestinian victims. He is obligated to pay NIS 228,000 to each of the families of the murder victims and another NIS 100,000 to the man he wounded.

His lawyer argued that Weisgan is exempt from criminal culpability because he acted in "necessary defense" - "He wanted to save the people of Israel from expected calamities through the act of murder, and should therefore be acquitted." The judges rejected the argument.