13 dec 2011
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The Israeli army shot Mustafa Tamimi from close rang while he was taking part in peaceful popular resistance protest in Nabi Saleh Village. the Israeli army then took him and refused to send him to Palestinian hospital they kept him for 2 hours before they sent him to hospital were he later died. the Israeli soldiers stopped his sister from seeing him and were smiling and laughing while his family wept.
Ashton Urges Israel to Investigate Protester’s Death European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged the Israeli government to thoroughly investigate the death of Mustafa Tamimi, a Palestinian killed when an Israeli soldier fired a tear gas canister in his direction at close range while taking part in a demonstration in Nabi Saleh, a village north of Ramallah, according to an EU statement issued Tuesday. |
Ashton said she “deeply regrets the tragic death of Mustafa Tamimi,” and “regrets the disproportionate use of force under any circumstances,” said the statement issued by Ashton’s spokesperson.
She urged Israel “to thoroughly investigate the incident.”
Tamimi was participating in the weekly Friday protest against the expropriation of the village's land and water spring by the Israeli settlement of Halamish, built on Nabi Saleh land, when he was hit by a high velocity grenade. He died the next day.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18350
She urged Israel “to thoroughly investigate the incident.”
Tamimi was participating in the weekly Friday protest against the expropriation of the village's land and water spring by the Israeli settlement of Halamish, built on Nabi Saleh land, when he was hit by a high velocity grenade. He died the next day.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18350
11 dec 2011

A photograph shot on Friday in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh captured the flight of a tear gas shell fired from an Israeli armored vehicle that was being stoned by Palestinian residents. The shell struck and killed the man in white, Mustafa Tamimi.
As the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reports, Israel’s military has opened an investigation into the fatal shooting of a Palestinian protester whose skull was crushed by a tear gas shell fired from an Israeli armored vehicle in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on Friday.
The death of Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was the first fatality in two years of weekly demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, where villagers gather every Friday to demand access to a natural spring on village land that was seized by Israeli settlers who live nearby. The demonstrations usually end in clashes, with Israeli officers firing tear gas and stun grenades to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the spring, and Palestinians hurling rocks.
As The Lede explained in June, the weekly demonstrations in Nabi Saleh are frequently documented on video and in photographs by Israeli and Palestinian activists who want to promote the model of civil disobedience as an alternative to armed conflict. It is also increasingly common for clashes at demonstrations across the West Bank to be reported on in real time by activists using Twitter.
On Friday night, as Mr. Tamimi fought for his life in an Israeli hospital, Israeli and Palestinian activists who oppose the continued occupation of the West Bank by Israel shared dramatic photographs of the shooting that appeared to show the tear gas shell in midflight, an instant after it left the barrel of the gun. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem also posted very graphic video on YouTube that showed the frantic rush to save the wounded man. (Be warned: the video, recorded moments after the shooting, shows the man’s wounded face in graphic detail.)
As the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reports, Israel’s military has opened an investigation into the fatal shooting of a Palestinian protester whose skull was crushed by a tear gas shell fired from an Israeli armored vehicle in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on Friday.
The death of Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was the first fatality in two years of weekly demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, where villagers gather every Friday to demand access to a natural spring on village land that was seized by Israeli settlers who live nearby. The demonstrations usually end in clashes, with Israeli officers firing tear gas and stun grenades to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the spring, and Palestinians hurling rocks.
As The Lede explained in June, the weekly demonstrations in Nabi Saleh are frequently documented on video and in photographs by Israeli and Palestinian activists who want to promote the model of civil disobedience as an alternative to armed conflict. It is also increasingly common for clashes at demonstrations across the West Bank to be reported on in real time by activists using Twitter.
On Friday night, as Mr. Tamimi fought for his life in an Israeli hospital, Israeli and Palestinian activists who oppose the continued occupation of the West Bank by Israel shared dramatic photographs of the shooting that appeared to show the tear gas shell in midflight, an instant after it left the barrel of the gun. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem also posted very graphic video on YouTube that showed the frantic rush to save the wounded man. (Be warned: the video, recorded moments after the shooting, shows the man’s wounded face in graphic detail.)
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Activists and observers who were present on Friday did not dispute that Mr. Tamimi had thrown rocks at the armored vehicle before the shooting, but witnesses claimed that the Israeli officer had fired the shell directly at him, in violation of Israel Defense Forces regulations.
لينة @LinahAlsaafin Follow He was throwing rocks at the jeep, the door opened and the canister was fired with precision and intent straight in his face. #nabisaleh Haim Schwarczenberg, an activist from Tel Aviv who photographed the shooting, told Haaretz that the incident took place after the security forces sent in a bulldozer to clear away a roadblock residents had erected to keep Israeli military vehicles out of Nabi Saleh. Then, Mr. Schwarczenberg explained: |
There were constant exchanges of stones and tear gas, and when the bulldozer pulled out, stones were thrown at the jeeps. A soldier from the last jeep opened the door and fired directly at Mustafa. From what I saw, there is no chance that the soldier had not seen him. After he was hit, the jeep took off without stopping.
Ibrahim Bornat, who was with Mr. Tamimi as they tried to chase the Israeli vehicle away, said that the officers appeared to wait for them to get close before opening the rear door and firing two tear gas shells directly at them, according to the International Solidarity Movement, an activist group. Mr. Bornat added that when the first shell was fired, “Mustafa pushed me so it went over my head; the second one hit him.”
Linah Alsaafin, a Palestinian blogger who was present at the demonstration, reported on the aftermath of the shooting on Twitter. After Mr. Tamimi was driven away, she noted that he was taken to a hospital in Israel, “alone, unconscious, bleeding. Why? Because Palestinians need a permit from Israel to travel.”
لينة @LinahAlsaafin Follow Im in a state of shock. I saw him in front of me, saw him carried away unconscious. Crying, everyone is. #nabisaleh
Although Israel promised to investigate the shooting after Mr. Tamimi died, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, three Israeli soldiers who speak for the military responded to the tide of outrage on Twitter by posting messages defending the use of force. All three suggested that the shooting had been justified because the protester had been hurling rocks. To bolster their case, they also circulated photographs of a slingshot they said he was carrying when he arrived at the Israeli hospital.
Ibrahim Bornat, who was with Mr. Tamimi as they tried to chase the Israeli vehicle away, said that the officers appeared to wait for them to get close before opening the rear door and firing two tear gas shells directly at them, according to the International Solidarity Movement, an activist group. Mr. Bornat added that when the first shell was fired, “Mustafa pushed me so it went over my head; the second one hit him.”
Linah Alsaafin, a Palestinian blogger who was present at the demonstration, reported on the aftermath of the shooting on Twitter. After Mr. Tamimi was driven away, she noted that he was taken to a hospital in Israel, “alone, unconscious, bleeding. Why? Because Palestinians need a permit from Israel to travel.”
لينة @LinahAlsaafin Follow Im in a state of shock. I saw him in front of me, saw him carried away unconscious. Crying, everyone is. #nabisaleh
Although Israel promised to investigate the shooting after Mr. Tamimi died, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, three Israeli soldiers who speak for the military responded to the tide of outrage on Twitter by posting messages defending the use of force. All three suggested that the shooting had been justified because the protester had been hurling rocks. To bolster their case, they also circulated photographs of a slingshot they said he was carrying when he arrived at the Israeli hospital.

In response to a message from Joseph Dana, an Israeli-American blogger and journalist who drew attention to the photograph of the shooting, Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, a military spokeswoman, posted an image of the slingshot on her official Twitter feed.
Avital Leibovich✔ @AvitalLeibovich Follow @ibnezra this is what he was doing.
When the spokeswoman called the demonstration an “illegal violent riot,” Yossi Gurvitz, an Israeli blogger, suggested that she was “obfuscating.” As Mr. Gurvitz explained in a blog post:
There are no legal demonstrations in the West Bank. Act 101 of the Military Acts in power in the West Bank says that any ten people “walking around, or gathering in order to move around from place to place, for a political purpose, or for any issue which may be considered political, whether they’re actually moving or not” is an illegal assembly. An illegal assembly is also any “ten people or more, who gathered together in a place where a speech is made on a political issue, or an issue which may be considered political, or to debate such an issue.”
Capt. Barak Raz, a spokesman for the I.D.F. division that controls most of the West Bank, uploaded another photograph of the slingshot carried by the “injured rioter” to his Twitter feed and then began to spar with Israeli and Palestinian activists who were outraged by the shooting.
In reply to activists who took issue with his use of the term “rioter,” Captain Raz suggested that Mr. Tamimi was not “innocent” since he had a prior arrest record, having been “Convicted and jailed back in July 2010 for using violence against Israeli forces.”
That led Lisa Goldman, an Israeli-Canadian journalist and blogger, to call the spokesman’s comment “revolting in the extreme,” since Israeli military courts convict more than 99 percent of the Palestinians they put on trial in the occupied territories.
Barak Raz ✔ @BarakRaz82 Convicted and jailed back in July 2010 for using violence against Israeli forces... #nabisaleh
Lisa Goldman @lisang Follow @CaptainBarakRaz Since IDF military courts have 99% conviction rate, your claim that Tamimi has criminal record is revolting in the extreme.
After Captain Raz shot back, “I don’t think that’s the stat., but perhaps … it’s a sign that those we try really are guilty,” Ms. Goldman replied: “Actually, you are right. The stat is not 99 percent It is precisely 99.76 percent. Go check it.” That is indeed the conviction rate for Palestinians in Israeli military courts according to an Israeli military report obtained by Haaretz last month.
Captain Raz’s superior, Maj. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the I.D.F.’s central command, also used his Twitter feed to spar with activists on Friday and suggest that the shooting had been justified.
Major Lerner posted several messages accusing the activists who circulated the photographs of the shooting of concealing images of Mr. Tamimi hurling rocks at the Israeli officers. But there seems to have been no such effort. Mr. Schwarczenberg’s photograph showing the flight of the tear gas shell also shows a rock about to strike the vehicle. Also, video clips of the demonstration posted on YouTube by the Israeli activist David Reeb, and a resident of Nabi Saleh, Bilal Tamimi, both show that rocks were hurled at the Israelis as they fired tear gas.
Avital Leibovich✔ @AvitalLeibovich Follow @ibnezra this is what he was doing.
When the spokeswoman called the demonstration an “illegal violent riot,” Yossi Gurvitz, an Israeli blogger, suggested that she was “obfuscating.” As Mr. Gurvitz explained in a blog post:
There are no legal demonstrations in the West Bank. Act 101 of the Military Acts in power in the West Bank says that any ten people “walking around, or gathering in order to move around from place to place, for a political purpose, or for any issue which may be considered political, whether they’re actually moving or not” is an illegal assembly. An illegal assembly is also any “ten people or more, who gathered together in a place where a speech is made on a political issue, or an issue which may be considered political, or to debate such an issue.”
Capt. Barak Raz, a spokesman for the I.D.F. division that controls most of the West Bank, uploaded another photograph of the slingshot carried by the “injured rioter” to his Twitter feed and then began to spar with Israeli and Palestinian activists who were outraged by the shooting.
In reply to activists who took issue with his use of the term “rioter,” Captain Raz suggested that Mr. Tamimi was not “innocent” since he had a prior arrest record, having been “Convicted and jailed back in July 2010 for using violence against Israeli forces.”
That led Lisa Goldman, an Israeli-Canadian journalist and blogger, to call the spokesman’s comment “revolting in the extreme,” since Israeli military courts convict more than 99 percent of the Palestinians they put on trial in the occupied territories.
Barak Raz ✔ @BarakRaz82 Convicted and jailed back in July 2010 for using violence against Israeli forces... #nabisaleh
Lisa Goldman @lisang Follow @CaptainBarakRaz Since IDF military courts have 99% conviction rate, your claim that Tamimi has criminal record is revolting in the extreme.
After Captain Raz shot back, “I don’t think that’s the stat., but perhaps … it’s a sign that those we try really are guilty,” Ms. Goldman replied: “Actually, you are right. The stat is not 99 percent It is precisely 99.76 percent. Go check it.” That is indeed the conviction rate for Palestinians in Israeli military courts according to an Israeli military report obtained by Haaretz last month.
Captain Raz’s superior, Maj. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the I.D.F.’s central command, also used his Twitter feed to spar with activists on Friday and suggest that the shooting had been justified.
Major Lerner posted several messages accusing the activists who circulated the photographs of the shooting of concealing images of Mr. Tamimi hurling rocks at the Israeli officers. But there seems to have been no such effort. Mr. Schwarczenberg’s photograph showing the flight of the tear gas shell also shows a rock about to strike the vehicle. Also, video clips of the demonstration posted on YouTube by the Israeli activist David Reeb, and a resident of Nabi Saleh, Bilal Tamimi, both show that rocks were hurled at the Israelis as they fired tear gas.
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Video of clashes after Friday’s demonstration in the West Bank village Nabi Saleh posted on YouTube by David Reeb, an Israeli activist
In another update, Major Lerner posted a link to Mr. Schwarczenberg’s photograph of Mr. Tamimi hitting the ground after being shot with the comment: “What was Mustafa thinking running after a moving jeep while throwing stones?” The Israeli officer, whose use of his @MajPeterLerner Twitter feed to promote his political views was criticized by Ms. Goldman last month, also appended the tag #Fail to his message. Peter Lerner ✔ @LTCPeterLerner Follow What was Mustafa thinking running after a moving jeep while throwing stones? @activestills- http://me.lt/6FF1d #Nabisaleh #Fail |
After several activists responded angrily to Major Lerner’s use of the casual Web lingo “Fail” to describe such a serious injury, he told Yedioth Ahronoth, “I did not mean to hurt anyone’s feelings by writing ‘Fail.’”
The military issued a statement defending Major Lerner’s use of Twitter, after a report in The Telegraph suggested that he had “mocked” the fatally wounded man. The I.D.F. spokesman’s office wrote:
The Twitter account was Major Lerner’s personal account. Over the weekend and in light of the incident in which Mustafa Tamimi was killed, he published tweets about the severity of the incident as well as the tendentious manner in which photos of the incident were published.
The tweets did not express an opinion or address the severity of the incident and its consequences and sources with a vested interest chose to focus on isolated tweets rather than the entire timeline. The incident is now under I.D.F. investigation and the statements should not be seen as contempt for human life.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes
The military issued a statement defending Major Lerner’s use of Twitter, after a report in The Telegraph suggested that he had “mocked” the fatally wounded man. The I.D.F. spokesman’s office wrote:
The Twitter account was Major Lerner’s personal account. Over the weekend and in light of the incident in which Mustafa Tamimi was killed, he published tweets about the severity of the incident as well as the tendentious manner in which photos of the incident were published.
The tweets did not express an opinion or address the severity of the incident and its consequences and sources with a vested interest chose to focus on isolated tweets rather than the entire timeline. The incident is now under I.D.F. investigation and the statements should not be seen as contempt for human life.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes
IOF Use Excessive Lethal Force and Kill Palestinian Civilian in al-Nabi Saleh Weekly Peaceful Protests

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the crime of killing a Palestinian who was peacefully demonstrating in al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
PCHR notes that IOF have intentionally used excessive lethal force against weekly peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders against the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank.
PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate action in order to put an end to IOF’s crimes.
PCHR calls also upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1 of the Convention which requires the Contracting Parties to respect and ensure respect for the Convention under all circumstances.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, following the Friday prayer on 09 December 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders gathered in the center of al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities.
The protesters walked towards the gate erected by IOF near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halamish" settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers who had been extensively deployed in the area and near all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters.
A result, Mustafa Abdul Razzaq al-Tamimi, 27, was hit by a tear gas canister to the right side of his face. Al-Tamimi fell down and he was evacuated in a Palestinian taxi which drove towards Ramallah. IOF stopped the taxi, took al-Tamimi, and transferred him to a hospital in Israel.
At approximately 10:00 on Saturday, 10 December 2011, medical sources at Israeli hospital pronounced al-Tamimi dead.
Al-Tamimi's body was transferred to Ramallah Public Hospital at around 19:00 on Saturday, 10 December. Eyewitnesses told a PCHR fieldworker that the tear gas canister was fired at al-Tamimi from an Israeli military jeep that was located approximately 10 meters from him.
PCHR renews its condemnation of this crime and:
1. Stresses that the use of extensive lethal force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians has become a systematic policy by IOF, which reflects disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians;
2. Holds IOF accountable for the deterioration of the situation in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip;
3. Believes that it is time to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions in order to take immediate action to protect Palestinian civilians in the OPT, in view of the continued violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention by the State of Israel and IOF.
PCHR notes that IOF have intentionally used excessive lethal force against weekly peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders against the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank.
PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate action in order to put an end to IOF’s crimes.
PCHR calls also upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1 of the Convention which requires the Contracting Parties to respect and ensure respect for the Convention under all circumstances.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, following the Friday prayer on 09 December 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders gathered in the center of al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities.
The protesters walked towards the gate erected by IOF near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halamish" settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers who had been extensively deployed in the area and near all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters.
A result, Mustafa Abdul Razzaq al-Tamimi, 27, was hit by a tear gas canister to the right side of his face. Al-Tamimi fell down and he was evacuated in a Palestinian taxi which drove towards Ramallah. IOF stopped the taxi, took al-Tamimi, and transferred him to a hospital in Israel.
At approximately 10:00 on Saturday, 10 December 2011, medical sources at Israeli hospital pronounced al-Tamimi dead.
Al-Tamimi's body was transferred to Ramallah Public Hospital at around 19:00 on Saturday, 10 December. Eyewitnesses told a PCHR fieldworker that the tear gas canister was fired at al-Tamimi from an Israeli military jeep that was located approximately 10 meters from him.
PCHR renews its condemnation of this crime and:
1. Stresses that the use of extensive lethal force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians has become a systematic policy by IOF, which reflects disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians;
2. Holds IOF accountable for the deterioration of the situation in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip;
3. Believes that it is time to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions in order to take immediate action to protect Palestinian civilians in the OPT, in view of the continued violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention by the State of Israel and IOF.
10 dec 2011

Israel's army has opened an investigation into the serious injury of a Palestinian demonstrator in the occupied West Bank, a military spokeswoman said Friday.
The official told Ma'an the injured man, identified as Mustafa Tamimi, was transferred to an Israeli hospital for treatment. He suffered a serious head injury, according to protesters.
"The incident is currently being investigated," the army official said.
She said forces opened fire amid a "violent and illegal riot" near Nabi Saleh.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=443506
The official told Ma'an the injured man, identified as Mustafa Tamimi, was transferred to an Israeli hospital for treatment. He suffered a serious head injury, according to protesters.
"The incident is currently being investigated," the army official said.
She said forces opened fire amid a "violent and illegal riot" near Nabi Saleh.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=443506
7 dec 2011
Jerusalem teen gets 8 years for killing Arab man

Hussam Rawidi
Stabber convicted of killing young Arab man in racist brawl; Judge takes defendant's troubled past into consideration.
The Jerusalem District Court has sentenced a 17-year-old Jewish teen to eight years in prison for killing a young Arab man in a racist brawl which took place in Jerusalem in February 2011.
The 17-year-old's sentence was reached as part of a plea bargain. In the verdict, Judge Zvi Segal said that the defendant's past was taken into consideration and the fact that he had not been aware of the fact that this was a racist crime.
The defendant, who stabbed 24-year-old Hussam Rawidi, was indicted for manslaughter, while his three friends were charged with aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting the crime.
The incident occurred in central Jerusalem around 2 am, after the Jewish teens had vodka earlier that evening. They encountered Rawidi and his friend, and began shouting racial slurs at them, such as: "Death to Arabs" and "You're all sons-of-bitches."
After a short while, a clash broke out when one Jewish teenager began to hit Rawidi and was joined by his friends. The violent incident continued for a few minutes, during which the defendant beat every part of the victim's body.
At one point the defendant drew a razor, stabbing Rawidi in the face, head and neck.
The indictment describes how despite the fact that Rawidi laid helplessly on the ground, bleeding to death, the suspects continued to beat him brutality while shouting racial slurs. Rawidi eventually managed to call the police before he collapsed and lost consciousness.
After many attempts to resuscitate him, doctors pronounced Rawidi dead from the stab wounds and loss of blood.
Several days after the incident, the defendant turned himself into the police. The Jewish teen told the police that he had purchased the blade for his own use, and had hid it in town after the incident.
As part of the plea bargain, the prosecution asked to sentence the Jewish teen to 10 years in prison. However, the defense claimed that the teen had had a difficult upbringing. The defense attorney added that the defendant was not aware that the brawl was a racist one and therefore had no ulterior motive.
The two other suspects involved in the crime have yet to be convicted.
Stabber convicted of killing young Arab man in racist brawl; Judge takes defendant's troubled past into consideration.
The Jerusalem District Court has sentenced a 17-year-old Jewish teen to eight years in prison for killing a young Arab man in a racist brawl which took place in Jerusalem in February 2011.
The 17-year-old's sentence was reached as part of a plea bargain. In the verdict, Judge Zvi Segal said that the defendant's past was taken into consideration and the fact that he had not been aware of the fact that this was a racist crime.
The defendant, who stabbed 24-year-old Hussam Rawidi, was indicted for manslaughter, while his three friends were charged with aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting the crime.
The incident occurred in central Jerusalem around 2 am, after the Jewish teens had vodka earlier that evening. They encountered Rawidi and his friend, and began shouting racial slurs at them, such as: "Death to Arabs" and "You're all sons-of-bitches."
After a short while, a clash broke out when one Jewish teenager began to hit Rawidi and was joined by his friends. The violent incident continued for a few minutes, during which the defendant beat every part of the victim's body.
At one point the defendant drew a razor, stabbing Rawidi in the face, head and neck.
The indictment describes how despite the fact that Rawidi laid helplessly on the ground, bleeding to death, the suspects continued to beat him brutality while shouting racial slurs. Rawidi eventually managed to call the police before he collapsed and lost consciousness.
After many attempts to resuscitate him, doctors pronounced Rawidi dead from the stab wounds and loss of blood.
Several days after the incident, the defendant turned himself into the police. The Jewish teen told the police that he had purchased the blade for his own use, and had hid it in town after the incident.
As part of the plea bargain, the prosecution asked to sentence the Jewish teen to 10 years in prison. However, the defense claimed that the teen had had a difficult upbringing. The defense attorney added that the defendant was not aware that the brawl was a racist one and therefore had no ulterior motive.
The two other suspects involved in the crime have yet to be convicted.
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![]() Mass murderer Malka
Israeli Military Prosecutors Office decided Monday not to prosecute former Givati Brigade commander, Ilan Malka, who is responsible for killing 21 members of al-Samuni family during an air strike that targeted the city of Gaza, according to Maariv newspaper. It said that Malka approved bombing a building in Zaytouna neighborhood in Gaza, killing 21 Palestinians and injuring another 19. Military investigating police has previously interrogated Malka, the brigade commander during the Israeli attack on Gaza, who claimed that he was “unaware of the civilians’ presence in the building.” The current Israeli public prosecutor will only reprimand Malka instead of putting him on trail. http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18072 Testimony: Samuni family As 'Attiyah a-Samuni approached the door, one of the soldiers ordered him to raise his hands and then, without warning, the soldiers opened fire and killed him, in front of his family. They then continued to shoot into the room in which the family was gathered, injuring several members. Background: Throughout Saturday night, 3.1.09, the Israeli air force bombed targets in the a-Zeitun neighborhood in Gaza City. On Sunday morning, troops entered the neighborhood. According to the above testimony and the testimony of Fahed a-Samuni, soldiers called on the father of the family to step out. A Mother's Loss - Operation Cast Lead Mass-murder If this does not break your heart you could hardly be considered a sane human being. I will forever be deeply affected by my time with the Samouni family, anybody with a heart would be. Ken O'Keefe |
25 oct 2011
PA: Israeli inaction encourages settler violence
The Palestinian Authority on Monday said the Israeli government was "implicitly encouraging settlers to continue on their rampage" by failing to hold them to account for violent crimes.
"Israeli violations against Palestinians and their property and livelihood continue to increase with little or no action by the Israeli authorities to hold people to account under the rule of law," a government statement said.
The PA criticized Israeli settlers' ongoing assaults on Palestinians harvesting olives in Qalqiliya, Nablus, Salfit and Ramallah, and said settlers shot at villagers harvesting olives in Jaloud near Nablus on Friday, injuring four including a 12-year-old boy.
The Ramallah-based government also noted that the soldier who killed 33-year-old Issam Kamal Odeh in the northern West Bank in September has not been arrested.
The soldier's commander has been demoted following several operational and disciplinary events but will remain in the army, the PA noted.
Odeh was shot dead by Israeli forces following a settler raid in Qusra, near Nablus. An army inquiry said opening fire in response to a settler raid was an error in judgment, the Israeli news site Ynet reported, adding that the decision to remove the officer came after a number of different incidents.
No further action has been taken over the killing of Odeh, who was the father of seven children.
Meanwhile, several Palestinian children have been attacked in the last week. In Jerusalem, settlers kidnapped a child in Jerusalem and beat him before handing him to the Israeli army, the PA said, while undercover police kidnapped a 9-year-old child in Silwan.
Settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars near Ramallah, injuring an 11-year-old girl, and attacked students and teachers at a school near Hebron, the government said, adding that Israeli authorities had made no arrests in any of the incidents.
"We call on the international community to ensure that lawlessness is not allowed to pass unnoticed and, without consequences. As the occupying power, Israel is obliged by international law to prevent abuse of the occupied population. It is failing to do so."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=432028
PA: Israeli inaction encourages settler violence
The Palestinian Authority on Monday said the Israeli government was "implicitly encouraging settlers to continue on their rampage" by failing to hold them to account for violent crimes.
"Israeli violations against Palestinians and their property and livelihood continue to increase with little or no action by the Israeli authorities to hold people to account under the rule of law," a government statement said.
The PA criticized Israeli settlers' ongoing assaults on Palestinians harvesting olives in Qalqiliya, Nablus, Salfit and Ramallah, and said settlers shot at villagers harvesting olives in Jaloud near Nablus on Friday, injuring four including a 12-year-old boy.
The Ramallah-based government also noted that the soldier who killed 33-year-old Issam Kamal Odeh in the northern West Bank in September has not been arrested.
The soldier's commander has been demoted following several operational and disciplinary events but will remain in the army, the PA noted.
Odeh was shot dead by Israeli forces following a settler raid in Qusra, near Nablus. An army inquiry said opening fire in response to a settler raid was an error in judgment, the Israeli news site Ynet reported, adding that the decision to remove the officer came after a number of different incidents.
No further action has been taken over the killing of Odeh, who was the father of seven children.
Meanwhile, several Palestinian children have been attacked in the last week. In Jerusalem, settlers kidnapped a child in Jerusalem and beat him before handing him to the Israeli army, the PA said, while undercover police kidnapped a 9-year-old child in Silwan.
Settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars near Ramallah, injuring an 11-year-old girl, and attacked students and teachers at a school near Hebron, the government said, adding that Israeli authorities had made no arrests in any of the incidents.
"We call on the international community to ensure that lawlessness is not allowed to pass unnoticed and, without consequences. As the occupying power, Israel is obliged by international law to prevent abuse of the occupied population. It is failing to do so."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=432028
24 oct 2011

Issam Kamal Odeh, 33, killed 23 sept 2011
The Israeli army fired the commander of forces who shot dead a 33-year-old man in the northern West Bank in September, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The officer will stay in the army but is taken off combat duties after a string of misdemeanors, the Israeli news site Ynet reported.
Israel's army said the Sept. 23 shooting by forces in Qusra village which killed Issam Kamal Odeh, 33, was an "operational failure."
The army inquiry said opening fire in response to a settler raid was an error in judgment, Ynet said, adding that the decision to remove the officer came after a number of different incidents.
Qusra, near Nablus, is frequently raided by settlers from surrounding Jewish-only communities who torched a village mosque in September.
Rupert Colville, spokesman for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, expressed concern in early October that Israeli forces "seem to be very quick to resort to excessive force when it comes to the Palestinians and not to restrain the settlers."
On the same day as the shooting, two Palestinian minors were detained for two hours and were allegedly beaten and humiliated by soldiers before being released, he said.
"We do have particular concerns about the way the IDF (Israeli army) operates in circumstances, particularly in those surrounding this particular village," he added.
Also Sunday, Israeli media reported a high-ranking Israeli officer was arrested on suspicion of drug-trafficking from the Egyptian border.
The major was among nine -- including two military police officers under his command -- accused of operating a drug ring in Israel's south that trafficked 2.5 million shekels ($690,000) worth of hash and heroin, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=431708
The Israeli army fired the commander of forces who shot dead a 33-year-old man in the northern West Bank in September, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The officer will stay in the army but is taken off combat duties after a string of misdemeanors, the Israeli news site Ynet reported.
Israel's army said the Sept. 23 shooting by forces in Qusra village which killed Issam Kamal Odeh, 33, was an "operational failure."
The army inquiry said opening fire in response to a settler raid was an error in judgment, Ynet said, adding that the decision to remove the officer came after a number of different incidents.
Qusra, near Nablus, is frequently raided by settlers from surrounding Jewish-only communities who torched a village mosque in September.
Rupert Colville, spokesman for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, expressed concern in early October that Israeli forces "seem to be very quick to resort to excessive force when it comes to the Palestinians and not to restrain the settlers."
On the same day as the shooting, two Palestinian minors were detained for two hours and were allegedly beaten and humiliated by soldiers before being released, he said.
"We do have particular concerns about the way the IDF (Israeli army) operates in circumstances, particularly in those surrounding this particular village," he added.
Also Sunday, Israeli media reported a high-ranking Israeli officer was arrested on suspicion of drug-trafficking from the Egyptian border.
The major was among nine -- including two military police officers under his command -- accused of operating a drug ring in Israel's south that trafficked 2.5 million shekels ($690,000) worth of hash and heroin, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=431708

Abir Aramin, 10
The family of a Palestinian girl killed in 2007 by Israeli soldiers has been awarded 1.6 million NIS ($430,000) in compensation by a Jerusalem court, Israeli news site Ynet reported Sunday.
Abir Aramin, 10, was killed in Anata, East Jerusalem by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli border guard officer.
Judge Orit Efal-Gabai from the Jerusalem District Court ruled that the Israeli state was responsible for the death of Abir Aramin and must pay her family compensation for burial expenses and "lost years," in addition to compensation based on the nature of her death.
Police at the time had claimed that autopsy results showed Aramin was killed by a stone.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem helped the family publish a pathologist's report which proved she was hit by a rubber bullet, Ynet said.
In the ruling, the judge stated that there was no dispute that the death of Abir Aramin was due to negligence and that the firing of rubber bullets violated military orders.
Abir Aramin was the daughter of Palestinian peace activist Bassam Aramin, who co-founded the peace group Combatants For Peace.
Figures published by B'Tselem say 141 Palestinian children were killed in 2006 by Israeli forces.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423587
The family of a Palestinian girl killed in 2007 by Israeli soldiers has been awarded 1.6 million NIS ($430,000) in compensation by a Jerusalem court, Israeli news site Ynet reported Sunday.
Abir Aramin, 10, was killed in Anata, East Jerusalem by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli border guard officer.
Judge Orit Efal-Gabai from the Jerusalem District Court ruled that the Israeli state was responsible for the death of Abir Aramin and must pay her family compensation for burial expenses and "lost years," in addition to compensation based on the nature of her death.
Police at the time had claimed that autopsy results showed Aramin was killed by a stone.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem helped the family publish a pathologist's report which proved she was hit by a rubber bullet, Ynet said.
In the ruling, the judge stated that there was no dispute that the death of Abir Aramin was due to negligence and that the firing of rubber bullets violated military orders.
Abir Aramin was the daughter of Palestinian peace activist Bassam Aramin, who co-founded the peace group Combatants For Peace.
Figures published by B'Tselem say 141 Palestinian children were killed in 2006 by Israeli forces.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423587