27 feb 2011
activity categorized him "a civilian taking a direct part in hostilities at that time" and that his classification by the Shin Bet as a target was professional, based on concrete information and in accordance with the principles of Israeli and international law.
Therefore, the committee said, the strike against Shehadeh, "which was intended to terminate his deadly activity, was a legitimate targeted killing".
The commission further concluded that the difficult collateral consequences of the strike against Shehadeh, in which 13 uninvolved civilians, mostly women and children, were killed and many others injured, became clear in hindsight to most of the senior officials involved in the planning and implementation of the operation.
The officials, according to the committee, stated that had they foreseen in real-time the scope and gravity of the collateral damage which actually resulted, the operation would not have been carried out.
"The said consequence was unintended, undesired and unforeseen. It did not stem from disregard or indifference to human lives," the committee determined.
During the operation, a one-ton bomb was dropped on the house in which Shehadeh was staying, killing him, Hamas figure Zahar Natzer, Shehadeh`s wife Layla and his 15-year-old daughter Iman, who were with him in the house.
'War crime.' Site of targeted killing in Gaza Following the operation, a petition was filed with the High Court of Justice requesting that it order the military advocate general and the attorney general to open a criminal investigation against the air force commander, the chief of general staff, the minister of defense and the prime minister of Israel, in order to determine whether criminal offenses had been committed in the course of the planning and implementation of the operation.
In January 2008 then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appointed a committee comprising three members: Former Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. (res.) Tzvi Inbar (committee chairman), Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Eitan and Yitzhak Dar.
Following the passing of Atty. Inbar on August 31, 2009 Netanyahu appointed retired Supreme Court Justice Tova Strasberg-Cohen as commission chairperson.
The committee determined that the targeted killing against Shehadeh was imperative because of the increase and escalation in terrorist attacks since 2000, in a manner which led to a situation of actual war, classified as an "armed conflict".
These attacks were carried out mainly by the Hamas movement, to which Shehadeh belonged as one of its senior leaders and head of its
Operational Branch. Shehadeh was the driving force behind the Hamas, its ideology and its operations, and was directly involved in the planning and execution of deadly terror attacks, the report said.
"This situation necessitated effective, immediate and pinpointed measures to eliminate or at least minimize the attacks. One of the means chosen for this purpose was targeted killings against the leading planners and perpetrators of terrorist attacks," according to the report.
"Other alternatives that were considered were not implemented, either because the chances of success were uncertain or because Shehadeh switched houses during the planning stages or because there was too great a risk to Israeli forces or to uninvolved civilians resulting from, inter alia, the difficulties involved in a ground operation in a densely-populated area."
Principle of proportionality
The committee also concluded that all those involved in the operation showed "awareness and sensitivity" throughout the entire operation with regards to the risk to uninvolved civilians and the "duty to avoid or minimize it to the extent possible, in line with the principle of proportionality.
"In addition, the operation was aborted twice because of the presence of a minor, Shehadeh`s daughter, in the house at the time the strike was planned to have taken place. Notwithstanding all this, a gap arose between what was expected and what actually occurred. The central reason for this gap was incomplete, unfocused and inconsistent intelligence information with regard to the presence of civilians in the structures adjacent to the Shehadeh house (the garage and huts), where most of the civilians died," the report stated.
According to the committee, this gap stemmed from "incorrect assessments and mistaken judgment based on an intelligence failure in the collection and transfer of information to the various echelons involved in the points of contact between the different agencies involved, and from a lack of sufficient understanding regarding the uncertainty that was created as a result of this unfocused, inconsistent and incomplete intelligence information which was before the decision-makers.
"The appropriate balance between the overall considerations of the decision-makers was disrupted, in a way that led to disproportionate harm to uninvolved civilians."
The committee stated that the rules of Israeli and international law "unequivocally remove any suspicion that a criminal offense was committed by any of those involved in the operation, adding that it does not recommend that personal measures be taken against any of those involved in the operation.
Shortly after the operation, the committee said, investigations were conducted by the various branches of the security forces, after which "lessons were learned and internalized by the security forces and incorporated both in writing and orally in training, lectures and regulations. Changes were also introduced accordingly in the mechanisms dealing with targeted killing operations.
According to the committee, the political echelon "also incorporated lessons learned from the operation and its consequences. Today, the procedure for transferring intelligence information to the political echelon is more organized, and decisions by the security services are more carefully scrutinized. There is awareness regarding initiation of meetings with the heads of the security services and the need to request clarifications as appropriate to ensure that the most independent and well-informed decision is made as necessitated by domestic and foreign policy considerations, particularly with regard to possible harm to uninvolved civilians as a result of targeted killings."
The committee recommended that security forces "incorporate and internalize, on an ongoing basis, the principles and norms of Israeli and international law and the ethical and moral foundations on which they are predicated, particularly in all that relates to harm to uninvolved civilians resulting from a targeted killing against a legitimate target.
In addition, the report stated that the "principle of proportionality must be carefully adhered to. A derivative of this principle is that a strike should not be carried out, even if the target is in and of itself legitimate, if the expected harm to uninvolved civilians is excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage to be derived from the strike, and this in each case according to its circumstances. In this context, maximum caution must be exercised in the selection of the method of striking the target and the type of weapon to be used in the operation.
Assassination succeeded
"The required balance was not properly achieved in the targeted killing against Shehadeh. Decisions were made on the basis of flawed, incomplete and inconsistent information which led to misunderstandings, erroneous assessments and mistaken judgment, which resulted in an unforeseen, undesired and unintended outcome," according to the report.
Knesset Member Avi Dichter (Kadima) who had served as Shin Bet chief at the time addressed the conclusions and noted that "it is important to state and admit: The assassination succeeded but the operation failed."
Dichter added that "Shehadeh`s daughter was the reason why we didn`t approve the attack so long as she was with him. That, more than anything else proves how much consideration and attention was given to avoiding harming the innocent."
Meanwhile, MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta`al) also addressed the issue, stating "those responsible for the assassination carried out a war crime and should be prosecuted for killing innocent women and children. The planners and implementers new in advance the price the civilian population would pay.
Israel: The bombing of civilian homes to kill Shehadeh was legal
The Israeli committee, assigned to investigate the operation that led years ago to the killing of Al-Qassam Brigades commander Salah Shehadeh nine and many civilians, said that the bombing of a residential area to kill a wanted person was a legitimate target.
The committee stated in a report handed to the Israeli premier on Sunday that the Israelis, who carried out this attack, did not commit a crime.
It also did not recommend taking any legal action against them, claiming that the killing of innocent people during the attack was not as a result of any disregard for human life but of wrong assessments and inadequate intelligence information.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri commented on this Israeli report in a statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), saying that this report confirmed that Israel legitimizes the indiscriminate and unintentional killing of Palestinians.
The spokesman underlined that what Israel had committed was a war crime and a violation of international law and human rights, stressing that this Israeli admission is extremely dangerous
Nine years ago, the Israeli air force carried out a heinous crime in Al-Darj neighborhood in Gaza city when its airforce dropped a one ton bomb at an apartment building killing 17 Palestinians and injuring dozens of them.
In another incident, the Hebrew radio said on Sunday that the Israeli fact-finding committee of Turkel that was formed last year to probe the deadly attack on Freedom Flotilla aid convoy summoned the attorney general Yehuda Weinstein for interrogation.
Weinstein was informed that he must appear before Turkel committee next month to respond to violations of international law and accusations against him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hamas slams 'shameless' Israeli probe
Hamas has condemned a Tel Aviv inquiry that cleared the Israeli military of any wrongdoing over a 2002 raid that killed a leader of the Palestinian movement and sixteen others, nine of them children.
The probe's findings are "a shameless affront to the feelings of the Palestinian people and an official endorsement of crimes and the practice of terrorism," Hamas representative Fawzi Barhum said Monday.
In July 2002, an Israeli F-16 dropped a one-tone bomb on the home of Salah Shehadeh, the head of Hamas's military wing, in Gaza City, killing him and sixteen others.
A committee was appointed by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008 to investigate the attack. The commission of inquiry handed its report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
It said that the high civilian death toll was the result of a chain of intelligence failures and concluded that no "criminal offence" had been committed.
The report, authored by retired Supreme Court judge Tova Strasberg-Cohen, said the decision to kill Shehadeh was justified.
"An examination of the operation according to the rules of Israeli and international law unequivocally removes any suspicion that a criminal offence was committed by any of those involved in the operation," it said.
The report also said those who planned the operation were unaware that so many civilians were present because of "incomplete, unfocused and inconsistent intelligence information."
The commission recommended no legal sanction against any of the decision-makers.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), however, said the attack is classified as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Israeli soldiers cleared over killings
No criminal offense has been committed by the Israeli military over the assassination of a senior Hamas leader and more than a dozen other Palestinians, Tel Aviv says.
The probe -- carried out by Israel -- has concluded that the Israeli army acted on faulty intelligence and the assassinations were justified and did not constitute a criminal act.
On July 22, 2002, Israel dropped a one-ton bomb on a house in Gaza City, killing Hamas leader Salah Shehade along with 16 other Palestinians, including nine children.
The assassinations led to widespread international condemnation at that time.
The report, published on Sunday, also cleared all those involved in the assassination and said that there is no room for legal proceedings against them, AP reported.
The classified report effectively ruled out any further action against troops over the dropping of a one-ton bomb.
Rights activists accuse Israel of taking too few steps to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties when ordering military operations.
Foreign and domestic critics said that the 2002 attack at the height of the Palestinian uprising, in which thousands died, is a clear example of Israeli indifference toward Palestinian civilians.
Similar charges were leveled after the Gaza war two years ago in which some 1,400 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli attacks and inflicted a damage of above $1.6 billion on the territory's economy.
Human rights groups have also criticized the international community for its silence on the siege on Gaza and the 22-day Israeli war in December 2008
Therefore, the committee said, the strike against Shehadeh, "which was intended to terminate his deadly activity, was a legitimate targeted killing".
The commission further concluded that the difficult collateral consequences of the strike against Shehadeh, in which 13 uninvolved civilians, mostly women and children, were killed and many others injured, became clear in hindsight to most of the senior officials involved in the planning and implementation of the operation.
The officials, according to the committee, stated that had they foreseen in real-time the scope and gravity of the collateral damage which actually resulted, the operation would not have been carried out.
"The said consequence was unintended, undesired and unforeseen. It did not stem from disregard or indifference to human lives," the committee determined.
During the operation, a one-ton bomb was dropped on the house in which Shehadeh was staying, killing him, Hamas figure Zahar Natzer, Shehadeh`s wife Layla and his 15-year-old daughter Iman, who were with him in the house.
'War crime.' Site of targeted killing in Gaza Following the operation, a petition was filed with the High Court of Justice requesting that it order the military advocate general and the attorney general to open a criminal investigation against the air force commander, the chief of general staff, the minister of defense and the prime minister of Israel, in order to determine whether criminal offenses had been committed in the course of the planning and implementation of the operation.
In January 2008 then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appointed a committee comprising three members: Former Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. (res.) Tzvi Inbar (committee chairman), Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Eitan and Yitzhak Dar.
Following the passing of Atty. Inbar on August 31, 2009 Netanyahu appointed retired Supreme Court Justice Tova Strasberg-Cohen as commission chairperson.
The committee determined that the targeted killing against Shehadeh was imperative because of the increase and escalation in terrorist attacks since 2000, in a manner which led to a situation of actual war, classified as an "armed conflict".
These attacks were carried out mainly by the Hamas movement, to which Shehadeh belonged as one of its senior leaders and head of its
Operational Branch. Shehadeh was the driving force behind the Hamas, its ideology and its operations, and was directly involved in the planning and execution of deadly terror attacks, the report said.
"This situation necessitated effective, immediate and pinpointed measures to eliminate or at least minimize the attacks. One of the means chosen for this purpose was targeted killings against the leading planners and perpetrators of terrorist attacks," according to the report.
"Other alternatives that were considered were not implemented, either because the chances of success were uncertain or because Shehadeh switched houses during the planning stages or because there was too great a risk to Israeli forces or to uninvolved civilians resulting from, inter alia, the difficulties involved in a ground operation in a densely-populated area."
Principle of proportionality
The committee also concluded that all those involved in the operation showed "awareness and sensitivity" throughout the entire operation with regards to the risk to uninvolved civilians and the "duty to avoid or minimize it to the extent possible, in line with the principle of proportionality.
"In addition, the operation was aborted twice because of the presence of a minor, Shehadeh`s daughter, in the house at the time the strike was planned to have taken place. Notwithstanding all this, a gap arose between what was expected and what actually occurred. The central reason for this gap was incomplete, unfocused and inconsistent intelligence information with regard to the presence of civilians in the structures adjacent to the Shehadeh house (the garage and huts), where most of the civilians died," the report stated.
According to the committee, this gap stemmed from "incorrect assessments and mistaken judgment based on an intelligence failure in the collection and transfer of information to the various echelons involved in the points of contact between the different agencies involved, and from a lack of sufficient understanding regarding the uncertainty that was created as a result of this unfocused, inconsistent and incomplete intelligence information which was before the decision-makers.
"The appropriate balance between the overall considerations of the decision-makers was disrupted, in a way that led to disproportionate harm to uninvolved civilians."
The committee stated that the rules of Israeli and international law "unequivocally remove any suspicion that a criminal offense was committed by any of those involved in the operation, adding that it does not recommend that personal measures be taken against any of those involved in the operation.
Shortly after the operation, the committee said, investigations were conducted by the various branches of the security forces, after which "lessons were learned and internalized by the security forces and incorporated both in writing and orally in training, lectures and regulations. Changes were also introduced accordingly in the mechanisms dealing with targeted killing operations.
According to the committee, the political echelon "also incorporated lessons learned from the operation and its consequences. Today, the procedure for transferring intelligence information to the political echelon is more organized, and decisions by the security services are more carefully scrutinized. There is awareness regarding initiation of meetings with the heads of the security services and the need to request clarifications as appropriate to ensure that the most independent and well-informed decision is made as necessitated by domestic and foreign policy considerations, particularly with regard to possible harm to uninvolved civilians as a result of targeted killings."
The committee recommended that security forces "incorporate and internalize, on an ongoing basis, the principles and norms of Israeli and international law and the ethical and moral foundations on which they are predicated, particularly in all that relates to harm to uninvolved civilians resulting from a targeted killing against a legitimate target.
In addition, the report stated that the "principle of proportionality must be carefully adhered to. A derivative of this principle is that a strike should not be carried out, even if the target is in and of itself legitimate, if the expected harm to uninvolved civilians is excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage to be derived from the strike, and this in each case according to its circumstances. In this context, maximum caution must be exercised in the selection of the method of striking the target and the type of weapon to be used in the operation.
Assassination succeeded
"The required balance was not properly achieved in the targeted killing against Shehadeh. Decisions were made on the basis of flawed, incomplete and inconsistent information which led to misunderstandings, erroneous assessments and mistaken judgment, which resulted in an unforeseen, undesired and unintended outcome," according to the report.
Knesset Member Avi Dichter (Kadima) who had served as Shin Bet chief at the time addressed the conclusions and noted that "it is important to state and admit: The assassination succeeded but the operation failed."
Dichter added that "Shehadeh`s daughter was the reason why we didn`t approve the attack so long as she was with him. That, more than anything else proves how much consideration and attention was given to avoiding harming the innocent."
Meanwhile, MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta`al) also addressed the issue, stating "those responsible for the assassination carried out a war crime and should be prosecuted for killing innocent women and children. The planners and implementers new in advance the price the civilian population would pay.
Israel: The bombing of civilian homes to kill Shehadeh was legal
The Israeli committee, assigned to investigate the operation that led years ago to the killing of Al-Qassam Brigades commander Salah Shehadeh nine and many civilians, said that the bombing of a residential area to kill a wanted person was a legitimate target.
The committee stated in a report handed to the Israeli premier on Sunday that the Israelis, who carried out this attack, did not commit a crime.
It also did not recommend taking any legal action against them, claiming that the killing of innocent people during the attack was not as a result of any disregard for human life but of wrong assessments and inadequate intelligence information.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri commented on this Israeli report in a statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), saying that this report confirmed that Israel legitimizes the indiscriminate and unintentional killing of Palestinians.
The spokesman underlined that what Israel had committed was a war crime and a violation of international law and human rights, stressing that this Israeli admission is extremely dangerous
Nine years ago, the Israeli air force carried out a heinous crime in Al-Darj neighborhood in Gaza city when its airforce dropped a one ton bomb at an apartment building killing 17 Palestinians and injuring dozens of them.
In another incident, the Hebrew radio said on Sunday that the Israeli fact-finding committee of Turkel that was formed last year to probe the deadly attack on Freedom Flotilla aid convoy summoned the attorney general Yehuda Weinstein for interrogation.
Weinstein was informed that he must appear before Turkel committee next month to respond to violations of international law and accusations against him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hamas slams 'shameless' Israeli probe
Hamas has condemned a Tel Aviv inquiry that cleared the Israeli military of any wrongdoing over a 2002 raid that killed a leader of the Palestinian movement and sixteen others, nine of them children.
The probe's findings are "a shameless affront to the feelings of the Palestinian people and an official endorsement of crimes and the practice of terrorism," Hamas representative Fawzi Barhum said Monday.
In July 2002, an Israeli F-16 dropped a one-tone bomb on the home of Salah Shehadeh, the head of Hamas's military wing, in Gaza City, killing him and sixteen others.
A committee was appointed by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008 to investigate the attack. The commission of inquiry handed its report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
It said that the high civilian death toll was the result of a chain of intelligence failures and concluded that no "criminal offence" had been committed.
The report, authored by retired Supreme Court judge Tova Strasberg-Cohen, said the decision to kill Shehadeh was justified.
"An examination of the operation according to the rules of Israeli and international law unequivocally removes any suspicion that a criminal offence was committed by any of those involved in the operation," it said.
The report also said those who planned the operation were unaware that so many civilians were present because of "incomplete, unfocused and inconsistent intelligence information."
The commission recommended no legal sanction against any of the decision-makers.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), however, said the attack is classified as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Israeli soldiers cleared over killings
No criminal offense has been committed by the Israeli military over the assassination of a senior Hamas leader and more than a dozen other Palestinians, Tel Aviv says.
The probe -- carried out by Israel -- has concluded that the Israeli army acted on faulty intelligence and the assassinations were justified and did not constitute a criminal act.
On July 22, 2002, Israel dropped a one-ton bomb on a house in Gaza City, killing Hamas leader Salah Shehade along with 16 other Palestinians, including nine children.
The assassinations led to widespread international condemnation at that time.
The report, published on Sunday, also cleared all those involved in the assassination and said that there is no room for legal proceedings against them, AP reported.
The classified report effectively ruled out any further action against troops over the dropping of a one-ton bomb.
Rights activists accuse Israel of taking too few steps to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties when ordering military operations.
Foreign and domestic critics said that the 2002 attack at the height of the Palestinian uprising, in which thousands died, is a clear example of Israeli indifference toward Palestinian civilians.
Similar charges were leveled after the Gaza war two years ago in which some 1,400 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli attacks and inflicted a damage of above $1.6 billion on the territory's economy.
Human rights groups have also criticized the international community for its silence on the siege on Gaza and the 22-day Israeli war in December 2008
27 feb 2011
One of the suspects who stabbed to death an Arab man in Jerusalem this month.
Three other suspects accused of assault, after the group allegedly attacked two Arab youths after they heard them speak Arabic.
The State Prosecution filed an indictment against four Jewish teens who were responsible for the stabbing of an Arab youth in Jerusalem last week.
The main suspect is indicted for manslaughter, while the other three teens are accused of assault under aggravated circumstances.
According to the indictment, the four minors, ages 16-17, were in central Jerusalem on a Friday two weeks ago, when they heard two young men speaking in Arabic. The suspects then allegedly approached them and started attacking them with racial slurs, saying comments such as "death to Arabs." Then one of the suspects began attacking one of the Arab boys, stabbing him with a blade from his left ear, through his cheek and neck.
The suspects allegedly continued to beat the Arab boy and his friend, punching them and kicking them to the ground while cursing them. The Arab boys then tried to escape, and the stabbed youth consequently collapsed and called the police for help. When the main suspect saw that the boy had collapsed, he allegedly fled the scene. Following the stabbing, the boy was evacuated to a hospital where he died of his wounds.
The suspects then allegedly ran to a friend's house nearby to bandage the main suspect's hand, who was injured from the blade. Two other suspects then allegedly returned to the scene of the crime in order to get rid of evidence, where police found them.
The decision by the prosecution to indict the main suspect solely for manslaughter corresponds to the police recommendation on the matter but contradicts an earlier announcement the police prosecutor issued on Thursday, when he said he intended on accusing the main suspect with murder and the other three suspects with causing bodily harm.
http://bit.ly/hcbAc2
Three other suspects accused of assault, after the group allegedly attacked two Arab youths after they heard them speak Arabic.
The State Prosecution filed an indictment against four Jewish teens who were responsible for the stabbing of an Arab youth in Jerusalem last week.
The main suspect is indicted for manslaughter, while the other three teens are accused of assault under aggravated circumstances.
According to the indictment, the four minors, ages 16-17, were in central Jerusalem on a Friday two weeks ago, when they heard two young men speaking in Arabic. The suspects then allegedly approached them and started attacking them with racial slurs, saying comments such as "death to Arabs." Then one of the suspects began attacking one of the Arab boys, stabbing him with a blade from his left ear, through his cheek and neck.
The suspects allegedly continued to beat the Arab boy and his friend, punching them and kicking them to the ground while cursing them. The Arab boys then tried to escape, and the stabbed youth consequently collapsed and called the police for help. When the main suspect saw that the boy had collapsed, he allegedly fled the scene. Following the stabbing, the boy was evacuated to a hospital where he died of his wounds.
The suspects then allegedly ran to a friend's house nearby to bandage the main suspect's hand, who was injured from the blade. Two other suspects then allegedly returned to the scene of the crime in order to get rid of evidence, where police found them.
The decision by the prosecution to indict the main suspect solely for manslaughter corresponds to the police recommendation on the matter but contradicts an earlier announcement the police prosecutor issued on Thursday, when he said he intended on accusing the main suspect with murder and the other three suspects with causing bodily harm.
http://bit.ly/hcbAc2
Teen who stabbed Arab boy in J'lem indicted for manslaughter
The state prosecution filed indictments to the Jerusalem District Court against four Jewish teens that were involved in a brawl at the center of Jerusalem, in which north Jerusalem Hussam Hassan was killed.
The main suspect, who allegedly stabbed the victim, was indicted for manslaughter, while his three friends were accused of assault under aggravating circumstances and disruption of proceedings.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4034879,00.html
The state prosecution filed indictments to the Jerusalem District Court against four Jewish teens that were involved in a brawl at the center of Jerusalem, in which north Jerusalem Hussam Hassan was killed.
The main suspect, who allegedly stabbed the victim, was indicted for manslaughter, while his three friends were accused of assault under aggravating circumstances and disruption of proceedings.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4034879,00.html
23 febr 2011
4 Jewish teens suspected of killing Arab
4 Jewish teens suspected of killing Arab
Hussam Rawidi
Probe reveals youths stabbed two Arab men, one of whom died, after scuffle broke out. Police suggest clash erupted over nationalistic reasons. 'I know that everything started because we are Arabs,' victim's friend says.
Police reported Wednesday that it has completed its investigation of the stabbing incident that occurred two weeks ago in Jerusalem, during which 24-year-old Hussam Rawidi was killed.
Four Jewish teenagers were arrested in connection to the incident, but only one is suspected of stabbing Rawidi, a resident of the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Semiramis. The inquiry revealed that the perpetrator used a razor, and not a knife. Police will recommend he be tried for manslaughter and not murder as the stabbing was preceded by a scuffle.
The perpetrator was arrested recently after turning himself in.
Investigators said that three of the suspects recounted the events, and that charges against all four will be filed in the coming days. Police said that the suspects were under the influence of alcohol on the day of the murder. The motive for the assault was unclear, but investigators insinuated that the suspects instigated the attack over nationalistic reasons, but did not plan the stabbing.
'It started because we're Arabs'
Jerusalem police learned that the February 10 incident occurred on Angelo Levi Bianchini Street in central Jerusalem when a clash broke out between two Jewish teenagers aged 16-17, and two young Arab men. Two other Jewish teenagers joined the fight later, one of whom stabbed Rawidi and his friend with a razor. The assailants fled the scene following the incident.
"I know that everything started because we are Arabs," said Murad Julani, who was with Rawidi on the night of the attack. "They heard that we were speaking Arabic, and started cursing and threatening us."
According to Julani, the Jewish youths jumped on them as they entered the alley. He says they attempted to "slaughter him" but only managed to inflict a cut on the back of his neck.
"After they ran away, I pulled Hussam up and we left the alley to call for help," Julani recalled. "He could hardly walk. Suddenly I saw that his shirt was soaked in blood. Still conscious, he collapsed on the floor I tried to stop the blood until the ambulance arrived."
Officers from the Lev Habira Police Station who responded to Julani's call apprehended two teenagers that fit the suspects' description. During the arrest one of the suspects threw away the blood-covered razor and a pair of glasses. Meanwhile, Rawidi was taken to the hospital, where he died a few hours later.
The two suspects, who reside in settlements, denied any connection to the event, and claimed that they were not aware that their friend had a razor. Their remand was initially extended by six days, then extended again.
After questioning the two, the investigators learned the identity of the alleged stabber, who turned himself in at a settlement checkpoint three days ago. He admitted to buying the razor at a barbershop a few hours before the fight broke out in order to cut his hair. He hid the blade under a trash can, fearing that it would be discovered on his person later. Another suspect, also from Jerusalem, kept silent during questioning.
'Palestinian initiated assault'
Attorney Ariel Atari, who represents one of the settlers, claimed that his client's detention was unnecessary. "They didn't know and didn't assume that that their friend was carrying a knife," he said. "They didn't know that the evening on which they went out to have fun, like every adolescent their age, will end in such a tragic manner."
He added that he estimates that his client will be released within the week.
Attorney Yair Golan, who represents the other settler, claimed that the primary suspicion against his client has to do with the allegation that he tried to dispose of the murder weapon.
"He is a 16-year-old minor without a criminal background, who got caught up in a fight," he said. "The police agreed that he did not commit the stabbing, and he claims that he did not even know who held the knife." He also estimated his client should be released soon.
Attorney David Halevy, who represents one of the Jerusalem residents, claimed that Rawidi was the one who initiated the assault.
"As we understand it, the deceased found his death at a location far from the scene of the event," Halevi noted. "My client has no connection to the stabbing, and he was not aware of its occurrence."
'We must fight racism together'
Despite the devastating loss, Rawidi's father, Hussein, said he continues to believe in coexistence, and called Jews and Arabs to fight racism as one.
"The problem is not the personal and tragic story of my son," he said. "If we don't fight racism, Hussam will not be the last one murdered under these circumstances."
Despite requests from Palestinian elements, Hussein Rawidi insists not to turn his son's murder into a symbol.
Fearing that his funeral would cause riots, the police initially prohibited Rawidi's family from burying him in Jerusalem. His body was held by the police for five days, until the court ordered it to be returned to his family.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4033046,00.html
Probe reveals youths stabbed two Arab men, one of whom died, after scuffle broke out. Police suggest clash erupted over nationalistic reasons. 'I know that everything started because we are Arabs,' victim's friend says.
Police reported Wednesday that it has completed its investigation of the stabbing incident that occurred two weeks ago in Jerusalem, during which 24-year-old Hussam Rawidi was killed.
Four Jewish teenagers were arrested in connection to the incident, but only one is suspected of stabbing Rawidi, a resident of the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Semiramis. The inquiry revealed that the perpetrator used a razor, and not a knife. Police will recommend he be tried for manslaughter and not murder as the stabbing was preceded by a scuffle.
The perpetrator was arrested recently after turning himself in.
Investigators said that three of the suspects recounted the events, and that charges against all four will be filed in the coming days. Police said that the suspects were under the influence of alcohol on the day of the murder. The motive for the assault was unclear, but investigators insinuated that the suspects instigated the attack over nationalistic reasons, but did not plan the stabbing.
'It started because we're Arabs'
Jerusalem police learned that the February 10 incident occurred on Angelo Levi Bianchini Street in central Jerusalem when a clash broke out between two Jewish teenagers aged 16-17, and two young Arab men. Two other Jewish teenagers joined the fight later, one of whom stabbed Rawidi and his friend with a razor. The assailants fled the scene following the incident.
"I know that everything started because we are Arabs," said Murad Julani, who was with Rawidi on the night of the attack. "They heard that we were speaking Arabic, and started cursing and threatening us."
According to Julani, the Jewish youths jumped on them as they entered the alley. He says they attempted to "slaughter him" but only managed to inflict a cut on the back of his neck.
"After they ran away, I pulled Hussam up and we left the alley to call for help," Julani recalled. "He could hardly walk. Suddenly I saw that his shirt was soaked in blood. Still conscious, he collapsed on the floor I tried to stop the blood until the ambulance arrived."
Officers from the Lev Habira Police Station who responded to Julani's call apprehended two teenagers that fit the suspects' description. During the arrest one of the suspects threw away the blood-covered razor and a pair of glasses. Meanwhile, Rawidi was taken to the hospital, where he died a few hours later.
The two suspects, who reside in settlements, denied any connection to the event, and claimed that they were not aware that their friend had a razor. Their remand was initially extended by six days, then extended again.
After questioning the two, the investigators learned the identity of the alleged stabber, who turned himself in at a settlement checkpoint three days ago. He admitted to buying the razor at a barbershop a few hours before the fight broke out in order to cut his hair. He hid the blade under a trash can, fearing that it would be discovered on his person later. Another suspect, also from Jerusalem, kept silent during questioning.
'Palestinian initiated assault'
Attorney Ariel Atari, who represents one of the settlers, claimed that his client's detention was unnecessary. "They didn't know and didn't assume that that their friend was carrying a knife," he said. "They didn't know that the evening on which they went out to have fun, like every adolescent their age, will end in such a tragic manner."
He added that he estimates that his client will be released within the week.
Attorney Yair Golan, who represents the other settler, claimed that the primary suspicion against his client has to do with the allegation that he tried to dispose of the murder weapon.
"He is a 16-year-old minor without a criminal background, who got caught up in a fight," he said. "The police agreed that he did not commit the stabbing, and he claims that he did not even know who held the knife." He also estimated his client should be released soon.
Attorney David Halevy, who represents one of the Jerusalem residents, claimed that Rawidi was the one who initiated the assault.
"As we understand it, the deceased found his death at a location far from the scene of the event," Halevi noted. "My client has no connection to the stabbing, and he was not aware of its occurrence."
'We must fight racism together'
Despite the devastating loss, Rawidi's father, Hussein, said he continues to believe in coexistence, and called Jews and Arabs to fight racism as one.
"The problem is not the personal and tragic story of my son," he said. "If we don't fight racism, Hussam will not be the last one murdered under these circumstances."
Despite requests from Palestinian elements, Hussein Rawidi insists not to turn his son's murder into a symbol.
Fearing that his funeral would cause riots, the police initially prohibited Rawidi's family from burying him in Jerusalem. His body was held by the police for five days, until the court ordered it to be returned to his family.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4033046,00.html
12 feb 2011
Hussam Rawidi 24
A Palestinian man was beaten to death at the hands of Jewish settlers in Aqab village in central occupied Jerusalem on Friday during confrontations in the town with Israeli occupation troops.
Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot quoted Israeli police as saying that the unidentified youth was severely beaten by Jewish settlers who attacked citizens in the village.
It said that the young man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead and later taken to Abu Kabir forensic institute.
Meanwhile, a number of other Jerusalemites suffered breathing difficulty as a result of inhaling the tear gas fired by the Israeli forces during the confrontations in the vicinity of the sit-in tent in Bustan suburb in Silwan town.
A Palestinian man was beaten to death at the hands of Jewish settlers in Aqab village in central occupied Jerusalem on Friday during confrontations in the town with Israeli occupation troops.
Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot quoted Israeli police as saying that the unidentified youth was severely beaten by Jewish settlers who attacked citizens in the village.
It said that the young man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead and later taken to Abu Kabir forensic institute.
Meanwhile, a number of other Jerusalemites suffered breathing difficulty as a result of inhaling the tear gas fired by the Israeli forces during the confrontations in the vicinity of the sit-in tent in Bustan suburb in Silwan town.
2 feb 2011
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Palestinians carry the body of Uday Qadous who was shot and killed by an Israeli settler near the village Iraq Burin in the occupied West Bank on 27 January
A Jewish settler was captured on video shooting dead a Palestinian man in plain view of Israeli soldiers. The Israeli Ynet newspaper posted the clip caught on a surveillance camera on a nearby Israeli watchtower in the Nablus village of Iraq Burin. The troops claimed the victim Uday Qadous, 19, and another Palestinian were hurling rocks at the settler, who then chased them down and shot at them. The film details otherwise. |
Qadous was pronounced dead by Palestinian medics on Thursday.
He was hit in the chest with several bullets and lost his life shortly after his arrival at the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, medics said.
Settlers kill 2 Palestinian teens, soldiers attack funeral
Human Rights Settlers kill 2 Palestinian teens, soldiers attack funeral The Electronic Intifada 4 February 2011 nab13-27jan11.jpg Palestinians carry the body of Uday Qadous who was shot and killed by an Israeli settler near the village Iraq Burin in the occupied West Bank on 27 January. (Rami Swidan/MaanImages)
Israeli settlers shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces continued to shoot at Palestinian laborers in Gaza and arrest and beat civilians in other parts of the country, including children. The Electronic Intifada brings you this special news brief on events related to Israeli violence against Palestinians.
Iraq Burin
An Israeli settler allegedly from the illegal Barkha settlement shot and killed 19-year-old Uday Qadous after they engaged in a verbal altercation, on 27 January in the northern West Bank village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus.
Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq investigated the shooting and stated that Uday and his cousin, Umar, were working in their fields when Uday went looking for some of their sheep that had gone missing (“Updates on the Killing of Udayy Qadoush by a Settler in Iraq Bourin,” 1 February 2011).
“Shortly after, Umar became worried about his cousin and went to look for him in the fields,” Al Haq stated. “He found Uday standing near an unpaved military road (connecting Barkha settlement and the local military base) and a settler was standing opposite him, about 10 meters away; the two were quarreling verbally.”
“As they moved away, Umar could no longer see them but heard a bullet shot and saw the settler running away from the scene of the incident. The settler had a light-complexion, blonde hair and wearing a Kippa, carrying a black backpack and a pistol on the side of his waist,” Al Haq reported.
The shooting was caught on Israeli military cameras, and was made public on YouTube (IDF Camera 28-Jan-2011: Israeli Settler Kill a Palestinian (Uday Qadous) in Iraq Burin). The brief video appears to show Uday fall to the ground suddenly as he is moving away from the settler.
Medical officials in the Rafadiya hospital in Nablus confirmed that Qadous was shot at point-blank range in the upper torso, with a bullet ripping through his lung, Ma’an news agency reported (“Autopsy on teen slain by settler completed,” 28 January 2011).
Beit Ommar
The next day in the southern West Bank village of Beit Ommar, a large group of Israeli settlers from the nearby illegal Bat Ayn settlement descended on the outskirts of the village and opened fire. Yousef Fakhri Ikhlayl, aged 17, was shot in the head while standing in his family’s vineyard.
Another 16-year-old boy from Beit Ommar was shot in the arm, but survived the attack.
Ikhlayl remained brain-dead in a hospital in Hebron before succumbing to his wounds early the next morning, according to Beit Ommar-based activism group Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP). PSP reported that at least 100 settlers took part in Friday’s attack, which began when armed members of the group began firing at Palestinian homes in the Saffa area adjacent to Beit Ommar. At the same time, PSP added, other settlers opened fire in the Jodor neighborhood, where Ikhlayl was standing (“Beit Ommar youth killed by Israeli settlers,” 28 January 2011).
Dozens of villagers from Beit Ommar and nearby Surif immediately came to the area “to defend their communities,” PSP stated, adding that seven Israeli military jeeps arrived and “escorted the settlers back to Bay Ayn [settlement].”
Ikhlayl was recently a participant in a youth photography class sponsored by the village-based Center for Freedom and Justice, and had been active with PSP in educational projects and community service-oriented initiatives.
Bekah Wolf, co-founder of PSP, worked closely with Ikhlayl and stated in the press release that “Yousef was a kid who hoped for a better future for Palestine.”
Wolf continued, “His life was ended prematurely by right-wing extremists. People around the world should be outraged by his shooting, and should work to bring his attackers to justice.”
Approximately 10,000 people filled the streets of Beit Ommar as residents carried Ikhlayl’s body and held Palestinian flags in his funeral on 29 January, PSP reported.
As the crowd marched closer to the Israeli sniper tower at the entrance to the village, on their way to the cemetery, Israeli soldiers attacked the funeral procession with sound grenades and tear gas canisters, while some residents threw stones at the fortified tower (“Funeral of Yousef Ikhlayl attacked by Israeli military, dozens injured,” 29 January 2011).
Soon afterwards, Israeli military jeeps arrived and soldiers “began shooting live [ammunition] and rubber bullets,” PSP added. “Most of the crowd dispersed at this point, carrying the injured people away. Several residents stayed and continued to confront the occupying army with stones.”
Dozens were wounded in the attacks.
PSP reported that Israeli soldiers also fired on a Palestinian ambulance attempting to give medical relief to an injured person.
Days before Ikhlayl’s killing, settlers from the same illegal settlement destroyed several hundred olive trees in Beit Ommar, PSP stated (“Settlers destroy more trees in Beit Ommar,” 28 January 2011).
Earlier in the week, on 27 January, the Israeli military arrested two young boys from Beit Ommar. PSP reported that 11-year-old Hamza Ahmed Abu Hashem and 12-year-old Bilal Mahmood Awad were arrested while they played soccer near their homes (“Israeli forces arrest two Palestinian boys ages 11 and 12 in Beit Ommar,” 27 January 2011).
“Bilal and Hamza were taken to the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmei Tsur and then transferred to the police station in Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron,” PSP stated.
Hamza is the son of a community activist with the Beit Ommar-based National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, a group that organizes weekly unarmed demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and the encroaching settlements.
At press time, PSP said that Hamza was released but Bilal was still being held in Israeli detention.
Bekah Wolf told The Electronic Intifada that on 3 February, another two Palestinian youths were arrested by Israeli soldiers, who detained them at Karmei Tsur settlement. Both of the boys are 17 years-old, according to Wolf.
Family members of one of the youths were badly beaten, she reported, when the soldiers entered their house. PSP members were also assaulted by Israeli soldiers when they attempted to find out information about the two boys. Another 26-year-old man was arrested also on 3 February by Israeli soldiers at the entrance to Beit Ommar, Wolf added.
Nabi Saleh
Israeli soldiers also arrested several Palestinian children in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh last week according to a report from The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC). On Sunday, 23 January, Israeli forces arrested 14-year-old Islam al-Tamimi in a pre-dawn raid, IMEMC reported (“An-Nabi Saleh Popular Committee Leader Beaten, Two Children Arrested,” 26 January 2011).
The report added that this was the second time in three weeks that Islam was arrested, and was interrogated for eight hours during his detention last week.
Islam was “denied access to legal counsel for the first five hours, during which he confessed to throwing stones during the weekly protest against the annexation wall,” IMEMC reported, “and his parents were denied access to their son during the interrogation; their legal right.” Islam’s brother, 10-year-old Karim al-Tamini, was arrested on Tuesday, IMEMC reported, but was released after seven hours in custody.
On 26 January, the Israeli military arrested two 15-year-old boys along with Bassem Tamimi, leader of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Nabi Saleh, IMEMC stated.
Joseph Dana, independent journalist, contributor to The Electronic Intifada, and media coordinator for the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, reported that Israeli forces applied torture techniques on Islam al-Tamimi during the interrogation (“Harsh interrogations of children escalate in Nabi Saleh,” 31 January 2011).
Jordan Valley
Israeli soldiers beat and arrested a 19-year-old Palestinian farmer in the Hadidiya region of the northern Jordan Valley as he grazed his livestock, the Jordan Valley Solidarity Project (JVSP) reported on 2 February (“A young man beaten and kidnapped by soldiers in Hadidiya”).
After being beaten by the soldiers, Ghazi Bsharat was taken to a nearby military detention center and released several hours later.
JVSP also reported that approximately 30 Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Maskiyot attacked Palestinians in Ein al Helwe, also in the northern Jordan Valley, on 29 January. A woman and her 11-year-old daughter were beaten and threatened with future violence in what residents say are attempts by settlers to force Palestinians to leave the area (“New settler aggression in Ein Il Hilwe,” 29 January 2011).
Silwan, Occupied East Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center (SILWANIC) reported that Israeli forces set a Palestinian home on fire on Friday, 28 January, after they fired rounds of tear gas canisters inside the house, located in the Baten al-Hawa area of Silwan (“Palestinian home set ablaze under volleys of tear gas,” 28 January 2011).
Following the destruction of the home, Israeli security services, including police, opened fire on Palestinian residents who protested the presence of the armed forces. SILWANIC reported that a 12-year-old boy was injured when a rubber bullet hit him in his face.
Later on, as protests intensified in the Baten al-Hawa area, SILWANIC reported that Israeli settlers “joined the violence” perpetrated by the Israeli armed forces, while Palestinian youth threw molotov cocktails at soldiers who had occupied the roof of a nearby home. Fire bombs were also hurled at the illegal Beit Yonatan settlement inside the neighborhood (“Youth aim Molotovs at soldiers on occupied roof,” 28 January 2011).
Gaza Strip
Israeli snipers stationed along the Gaza boundary opened fire on a 21-year-old Palestinian man on 31 January, The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported (“Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” 27 January - 2 February 2011).
Israeli soldiers inside sniper towers near Beit Lahiya town “fired at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction materials from a site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of ‘Elli Sinai’ used to stand,” PCHR reported.
“Mohammed Zakaria Halawa, 21, from Jabalya, was wounded by a bullet to the left leg, when he was nearly 150 meters away from the border,” PCHR added. Rising poverty and the 4-year-long Israeli blockade in the occupied Gaza Strip has forced many Palestinian laborers to collect raw industrial material and rubble from areas near the “buffer zone,” a 300-meter-long militarized area along the northern, eastern and maritime boundaries.
As The Electronic Intifada has reported, more than 100 Palestinians have been shot since March 2010 while collecting material to use for industrial construction. Israel’s blockade has severely restricted the import of construction materials into Gaza.
On 2 February, Israeli warplanes bombed tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, reported Agence-France Presse (AFP). The Israeli military claimed its aerial attacks were in response to Palestinian-fired homemade rockets on Monday night, which landed across the boundary and caused no injuries. No one was injured in the Israeli airstrike (“Israeli planes hit Gaza tunnels, no casualties,” 2 February 2011).
Dhammash
Finally, in the village of Dhammash, near Tel Aviv, Israeli police arrested and severely beat members of the Shaaban family on 22 January, accusing them of “harboring illegal workers,” according to a report by independent journalist Max Blumenthal (“‘The days of ‘48 have come again.’ 15 minutes from Tel Aviv, Israel creates a new refugee camp,” 26 January 2011).
Police in the town of Lydd, “violently arrested Ali, Farida, and five members of [the Shaaban] family,” Blumenthal reported, adding that their detention was unknown until the following Monday, two days later. A judge then extended their imprisonment until the following Thursday “on the grounds of secret evidence the Shaaban family’s lawyer was not allowed to view — a tactic familiar to Israel’s military courts in the West Bank.”
A mobile phone video posted on YouTube showed Israeli police beating members of the Shaaban family.
For more than a year, the Palestinian residents of Dhammash have been living under regular police harassment and constant threat of losing their homes in their village, which has been “unrecognized” by the State of Israel since 1948. Residents of Dhammash are Israeli citizens and pay taxes, but do not receive any services as the state refuses to acknowledge their presence.
The Electronic Intifada has reported on the situation for Palestinians inside Dhammash and the adjacent segregated city of Lydd, where recent demolitions of Palestinian homes have left entire families homeless.
Rights group releases testimony from deadly settler attack
An Israeli settler with a light-complexion, blond hair, wearing a Kippa, carrying a black backpack and a pistol on the side of his waist was the gunman who shot and killed Uday Qadous, testimony from Ramallah-based rights group Al-Haq revealed Wednesday.
Qadous, 19, was shot dead and found by his cousin on 26 January. Israeli forces said at the time that an investigation had been launched.
In Al-Haq's latest report, the organization said it collected further testimony from Uday's cousin, Omar, who heard the shot that killed his cousin.
When Omar went to look for Uday, Al-Haq reported, he found his cousin standing near an unpaved military road which connects that illegal Israeli settlement of Barkha to the nearby Israeli military base. A settler was standing opposite him, about 10 metres away; the two were quarrelling verbally.
As they moved away, Omar could no longer see them, the report said, but heard a bullet shot and saw the blond settler running away from the scene of the incident.
The cousin said he found Uday "lying on the ground, blood coming out of his mouth as he was making sneezing noises momentarily before he fell unconscious," the report said.
Omar ran toward the village, found two men to help carry Uday, and then came across a man with a horse who took the young man's body to an ambulance, and then to hospital, where he was declared dead.
He was hit in the chest with several bullets and lost his life shortly after his arrival at the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, medics said.
Settlers kill 2 Palestinian teens, soldiers attack funeral
Human Rights Settlers kill 2 Palestinian teens, soldiers attack funeral The Electronic Intifada 4 February 2011 nab13-27jan11.jpg Palestinians carry the body of Uday Qadous who was shot and killed by an Israeli settler near the village Iraq Burin in the occupied West Bank on 27 January. (Rami Swidan/MaanImages)
Israeli settlers shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces continued to shoot at Palestinian laborers in Gaza and arrest and beat civilians in other parts of the country, including children. The Electronic Intifada brings you this special news brief on events related to Israeli violence against Palestinians.
Iraq Burin
An Israeli settler allegedly from the illegal Barkha settlement shot and killed 19-year-old Uday Qadous after they engaged in a verbal altercation, on 27 January in the northern West Bank village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus.
Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq investigated the shooting and stated that Uday and his cousin, Umar, were working in their fields when Uday went looking for some of their sheep that had gone missing (“Updates on the Killing of Udayy Qadoush by a Settler in Iraq Bourin,” 1 February 2011).
“Shortly after, Umar became worried about his cousin and went to look for him in the fields,” Al Haq stated. “He found Uday standing near an unpaved military road (connecting Barkha settlement and the local military base) and a settler was standing opposite him, about 10 meters away; the two were quarreling verbally.”
“As they moved away, Umar could no longer see them but heard a bullet shot and saw the settler running away from the scene of the incident. The settler had a light-complexion, blonde hair and wearing a Kippa, carrying a black backpack and a pistol on the side of his waist,” Al Haq reported.
The shooting was caught on Israeli military cameras, and was made public on YouTube (IDF Camera 28-Jan-2011: Israeli Settler Kill a Palestinian (Uday Qadous) in Iraq Burin). The brief video appears to show Uday fall to the ground suddenly as he is moving away from the settler.
Medical officials in the Rafadiya hospital in Nablus confirmed that Qadous was shot at point-blank range in the upper torso, with a bullet ripping through his lung, Ma’an news agency reported (“Autopsy on teen slain by settler completed,” 28 January 2011).
Beit Ommar
The next day in the southern West Bank village of Beit Ommar, a large group of Israeli settlers from the nearby illegal Bat Ayn settlement descended on the outskirts of the village and opened fire. Yousef Fakhri Ikhlayl, aged 17, was shot in the head while standing in his family’s vineyard.
Another 16-year-old boy from Beit Ommar was shot in the arm, but survived the attack.
Ikhlayl remained brain-dead in a hospital in Hebron before succumbing to his wounds early the next morning, according to Beit Ommar-based activism group Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP). PSP reported that at least 100 settlers took part in Friday’s attack, which began when armed members of the group began firing at Palestinian homes in the Saffa area adjacent to Beit Ommar. At the same time, PSP added, other settlers opened fire in the Jodor neighborhood, where Ikhlayl was standing (“Beit Ommar youth killed by Israeli settlers,” 28 January 2011).
Dozens of villagers from Beit Ommar and nearby Surif immediately came to the area “to defend their communities,” PSP stated, adding that seven Israeli military jeeps arrived and “escorted the settlers back to Bay Ayn [settlement].”
Ikhlayl was recently a participant in a youth photography class sponsored by the village-based Center for Freedom and Justice, and had been active with PSP in educational projects and community service-oriented initiatives.
Bekah Wolf, co-founder of PSP, worked closely with Ikhlayl and stated in the press release that “Yousef was a kid who hoped for a better future for Palestine.”
Wolf continued, “His life was ended prematurely by right-wing extremists. People around the world should be outraged by his shooting, and should work to bring his attackers to justice.”
Approximately 10,000 people filled the streets of Beit Ommar as residents carried Ikhlayl’s body and held Palestinian flags in his funeral on 29 January, PSP reported.
As the crowd marched closer to the Israeli sniper tower at the entrance to the village, on their way to the cemetery, Israeli soldiers attacked the funeral procession with sound grenades and tear gas canisters, while some residents threw stones at the fortified tower (“Funeral of Yousef Ikhlayl attacked by Israeli military, dozens injured,” 29 January 2011).
Soon afterwards, Israeli military jeeps arrived and soldiers “began shooting live [ammunition] and rubber bullets,” PSP added. “Most of the crowd dispersed at this point, carrying the injured people away. Several residents stayed and continued to confront the occupying army with stones.”
Dozens were wounded in the attacks.
PSP reported that Israeli soldiers also fired on a Palestinian ambulance attempting to give medical relief to an injured person.
Days before Ikhlayl’s killing, settlers from the same illegal settlement destroyed several hundred olive trees in Beit Ommar, PSP stated (“Settlers destroy more trees in Beit Ommar,” 28 January 2011).
Earlier in the week, on 27 January, the Israeli military arrested two young boys from Beit Ommar. PSP reported that 11-year-old Hamza Ahmed Abu Hashem and 12-year-old Bilal Mahmood Awad were arrested while they played soccer near their homes (“Israeli forces arrest two Palestinian boys ages 11 and 12 in Beit Ommar,” 27 January 2011).
“Bilal and Hamza were taken to the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmei Tsur and then transferred to the police station in Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron,” PSP stated.
Hamza is the son of a community activist with the Beit Ommar-based National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, a group that organizes weekly unarmed demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and the encroaching settlements.
At press time, PSP said that Hamza was released but Bilal was still being held in Israeli detention.
Bekah Wolf told The Electronic Intifada that on 3 February, another two Palestinian youths were arrested by Israeli soldiers, who detained them at Karmei Tsur settlement. Both of the boys are 17 years-old, according to Wolf.
Family members of one of the youths were badly beaten, she reported, when the soldiers entered their house. PSP members were also assaulted by Israeli soldiers when they attempted to find out information about the two boys. Another 26-year-old man was arrested also on 3 February by Israeli soldiers at the entrance to Beit Ommar, Wolf added.
Nabi Saleh
Israeli soldiers also arrested several Palestinian children in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh last week according to a report from The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC). On Sunday, 23 January, Israeli forces arrested 14-year-old Islam al-Tamimi in a pre-dawn raid, IMEMC reported (“An-Nabi Saleh Popular Committee Leader Beaten, Two Children Arrested,” 26 January 2011).
The report added that this was the second time in three weeks that Islam was arrested, and was interrogated for eight hours during his detention last week.
Islam was “denied access to legal counsel for the first five hours, during which he confessed to throwing stones during the weekly protest against the annexation wall,” IMEMC reported, “and his parents were denied access to their son during the interrogation; their legal right.” Islam’s brother, 10-year-old Karim al-Tamini, was arrested on Tuesday, IMEMC reported, but was released after seven hours in custody.
On 26 January, the Israeli military arrested two 15-year-old boys along with Bassem Tamimi, leader of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Nabi Saleh, IMEMC stated.
Joseph Dana, independent journalist, contributor to The Electronic Intifada, and media coordinator for the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, reported that Israeli forces applied torture techniques on Islam al-Tamimi during the interrogation (“Harsh interrogations of children escalate in Nabi Saleh,” 31 January 2011).
Jordan Valley
Israeli soldiers beat and arrested a 19-year-old Palestinian farmer in the Hadidiya region of the northern Jordan Valley as he grazed his livestock, the Jordan Valley Solidarity Project (JVSP) reported on 2 February (“A young man beaten and kidnapped by soldiers in Hadidiya”).
After being beaten by the soldiers, Ghazi Bsharat was taken to a nearby military detention center and released several hours later.
JVSP also reported that approximately 30 Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Maskiyot attacked Palestinians in Ein al Helwe, also in the northern Jordan Valley, on 29 January. A woman and her 11-year-old daughter were beaten and threatened with future violence in what residents say are attempts by settlers to force Palestinians to leave the area (“New settler aggression in Ein Il Hilwe,” 29 January 2011).
Silwan, Occupied East Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center (SILWANIC) reported that Israeli forces set a Palestinian home on fire on Friday, 28 January, after they fired rounds of tear gas canisters inside the house, located in the Baten al-Hawa area of Silwan (“Palestinian home set ablaze under volleys of tear gas,” 28 January 2011).
Following the destruction of the home, Israeli security services, including police, opened fire on Palestinian residents who protested the presence of the armed forces. SILWANIC reported that a 12-year-old boy was injured when a rubber bullet hit him in his face.
Later on, as protests intensified in the Baten al-Hawa area, SILWANIC reported that Israeli settlers “joined the violence” perpetrated by the Israeli armed forces, while Palestinian youth threw molotov cocktails at soldiers who had occupied the roof of a nearby home. Fire bombs were also hurled at the illegal Beit Yonatan settlement inside the neighborhood (“Youth aim Molotovs at soldiers on occupied roof,” 28 January 2011).
Gaza Strip
Israeli snipers stationed along the Gaza boundary opened fire on a 21-year-old Palestinian man on 31 January, The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported (“Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” 27 January - 2 February 2011).
Israeli soldiers inside sniper towers near Beit Lahiya town “fired at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction materials from a site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of ‘Elli Sinai’ used to stand,” PCHR reported.
“Mohammed Zakaria Halawa, 21, from Jabalya, was wounded by a bullet to the left leg, when he was nearly 150 meters away from the border,” PCHR added. Rising poverty and the 4-year-long Israeli blockade in the occupied Gaza Strip has forced many Palestinian laborers to collect raw industrial material and rubble from areas near the “buffer zone,” a 300-meter-long militarized area along the northern, eastern and maritime boundaries.
As The Electronic Intifada has reported, more than 100 Palestinians have been shot since March 2010 while collecting material to use for industrial construction. Israel’s blockade has severely restricted the import of construction materials into Gaza.
On 2 February, Israeli warplanes bombed tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, reported Agence-France Presse (AFP). The Israeli military claimed its aerial attacks were in response to Palestinian-fired homemade rockets on Monday night, which landed across the boundary and caused no injuries. No one was injured in the Israeli airstrike (“Israeli planes hit Gaza tunnels, no casualties,” 2 February 2011).
Dhammash
Finally, in the village of Dhammash, near Tel Aviv, Israeli police arrested and severely beat members of the Shaaban family on 22 January, accusing them of “harboring illegal workers,” according to a report by independent journalist Max Blumenthal (“‘The days of ‘48 have come again.’ 15 minutes from Tel Aviv, Israel creates a new refugee camp,” 26 January 2011).
Police in the town of Lydd, “violently arrested Ali, Farida, and five members of [the Shaaban] family,” Blumenthal reported, adding that their detention was unknown until the following Monday, two days later. A judge then extended their imprisonment until the following Thursday “on the grounds of secret evidence the Shaaban family’s lawyer was not allowed to view — a tactic familiar to Israel’s military courts in the West Bank.”
A mobile phone video posted on YouTube showed Israeli police beating members of the Shaaban family.
For more than a year, the Palestinian residents of Dhammash have been living under regular police harassment and constant threat of losing their homes in their village, which has been “unrecognized” by the State of Israel since 1948. Residents of Dhammash are Israeli citizens and pay taxes, but do not receive any services as the state refuses to acknowledge their presence.
The Electronic Intifada has reported on the situation for Palestinians inside Dhammash and the adjacent segregated city of Lydd, where recent demolitions of Palestinian homes have left entire families homeless.
Rights group releases testimony from deadly settler attack
An Israeli settler with a light-complexion, blond hair, wearing a Kippa, carrying a black backpack and a pistol on the side of his waist was the gunman who shot and killed Uday Qadous, testimony from Ramallah-based rights group Al-Haq revealed Wednesday.
Qadous, 19, was shot dead and found by his cousin on 26 January. Israeli forces said at the time that an investigation had been launched.
In Al-Haq's latest report, the organization said it collected further testimony from Uday's cousin, Omar, who heard the shot that killed his cousin.
When Omar went to look for Uday, Al-Haq reported, he found his cousin standing near an unpaved military road which connects that illegal Israeli settlement of Barkha to the nearby Israeli military base. A settler was standing opposite him, about 10 metres away; the two were quarrelling verbally.
As they moved away, Omar could no longer see them, the report said, but heard a bullet shot and saw the blond settler running away from the scene of the incident.
The cousin said he found Uday "lying on the ground, blood coming out of his mouth as he was making sneezing noises momentarily before he fell unconscious," the report said.
Omar ran toward the village, found two men to help carry Uday, and then came across a man with a horse who took the young man's body to an ambulance, and then to hospital, where he was declared dead.
30 jan 2011
Four suspects under investigation for shooting during field trip near Bat Ayin. One hiker tells Ynet: 'It was a real battle'.
Police are continuing their investigation into the killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian during a settlers' trip in Gush Etzion last Friday. Police arrested two more suspects Sunday in connection with the Bat Ayin shooting.
The two, a 46-year old resident of the Otniel settlement and a 22-year-old Ashkelon resident, are suspected of being involved in the shooting and they will be brought before a court for a hearing into the extension of their remand. They join two other suspects who were arrested over the weekend and whose remand was extended by four days.
The trip was taken by a group of 40 people from throughout the country - children, teens and adults. The day trips are organized by the 'David and Ahikam' organization, which was founded in memory of two IDF soldiers Avihai Ahikam and David Rubin - who were murdered by terrorists during a hike in 2007.
Since its foundation the organization arranges day trips throughout Israel, with special attention given to the Judea and Samaria region. People are informed of when and where the trips are taking place through monthly emails.
One of the hike's participants, Shimi Prazot, 32, of Beit Horon discussed the shooting incident. "We came out of Kefar Etzion, walked to an ancient knoll and had breakfast there. Afterwards we received explanations on what we would be able to see from the lookout point.
"Then around 15-20 Palestinians gathered around us; one of them was holding a camera but we didn't think it was odd. When we finished our breakfast the tour guide led us to a nearby wadi to search for natural springs."
Panic and screaming
According to Prazot, the Palestinians ambushed them throwing stones, using live fire and charges. "The area is very steep, so when we started walking down into the wadi we were suddenly attacked by a massive barrage of rocks which were being thrown at us with a great deal of precision.
"A member of our group from Petah Tikva was hit in the head by one of those rocks. We started running down the wadi while the barrage continued. There was a great deal of panic and screaming."
Prazot added "our group included 12-year-olds, women over the age of 60, and no one had planned for a situation like that. We didn't even know where to run to." He stated that when they reached the wadi, they heard shots and explosions.
"I remember someone yelling 'they have weapons'. I asked anyone in our group who had a weapon to cover the seniors' and children's escape. I cocked my personal weapon and hid behind a boulder.
"After a few minutes I understood that it wasn't smart to stay there so I ran to where everyone else was running. Eventually we joined some soldiers and from there we continued to the entrance to Bat Ayin, where police were waiting."
Prazot points the blame at the police who, he claims, did nothing to apprehend the Palestinian shooters:
"They weren't trying to seize the weapons used by the Palestinians." He says that he wasn't a witness to the incident in which the Palestinian was killed. "I heard lots of shooting; I can't know who shot what. This was a real battle, I didn't even see who threw the rocks, I just saw them landing near me," he added.
Police are continuing their investigation into the killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian during a settlers' trip in Gush Etzion last Friday. Police arrested two more suspects Sunday in connection with the Bat Ayin shooting.
The two, a 46-year old resident of the Otniel settlement and a 22-year-old Ashkelon resident, are suspected of being involved in the shooting and they will be brought before a court for a hearing into the extension of their remand. They join two other suspects who were arrested over the weekend and whose remand was extended by four days.
The trip was taken by a group of 40 people from throughout the country - children, teens and adults. The day trips are organized by the 'David and Ahikam' organization, which was founded in memory of two IDF soldiers Avihai Ahikam and David Rubin - who were murdered by terrorists during a hike in 2007.
Since its foundation the organization arranges day trips throughout Israel, with special attention given to the Judea and Samaria region. People are informed of when and where the trips are taking place through monthly emails.
One of the hike's participants, Shimi Prazot, 32, of Beit Horon discussed the shooting incident. "We came out of Kefar Etzion, walked to an ancient knoll and had breakfast there. Afterwards we received explanations on what we would be able to see from the lookout point.
"Then around 15-20 Palestinians gathered around us; one of them was holding a camera but we didn't think it was odd. When we finished our breakfast the tour guide led us to a nearby wadi to search for natural springs."
Panic and screaming
According to Prazot, the Palestinians ambushed them throwing stones, using live fire and charges. "The area is very steep, so when we started walking down into the wadi we were suddenly attacked by a massive barrage of rocks which were being thrown at us with a great deal of precision.
"A member of our group from Petah Tikva was hit in the head by one of those rocks. We started running down the wadi while the barrage continued. There was a great deal of panic and screaming."
Prazot added "our group included 12-year-olds, women over the age of 60, and no one had planned for a situation like that. We didn't even know where to run to." He stated that when they reached the wadi, they heard shots and explosions.
"I remember someone yelling 'they have weapons'. I asked anyone in our group who had a weapon to cover the seniors' and children's escape. I cocked my personal weapon and hid behind a boulder.
"After a few minutes I understood that it wasn't smart to stay there so I ran to where everyone else was running. Eventually we joined some soldiers and from there we continued to the entrance to Bat Ayin, where police were waiting."
Prazot points the blame at the police who, he claims, did nothing to apprehend the Palestinian shooters:
"They weren't trying to seize the weapons used by the Palestinians." He says that he wasn't a witness to the incident in which the Palestinian was killed. "I heard lots of shooting; I can't know who shot what. This was a real battle, I didn't even see who threw the rocks, I just saw them landing near me," he added.
29 jan 2011
Palestinian medical sources announced the death of 17-year-old Yousef Ikhleil on Friday night, hours after the teenager had been shot in the head by settlers from a nearby illegal settlement north of Hebron.
The boy and a second villager were both injured, with the second casualty suffering only moderate injuries. The settler shooting incident was the second in as many days.
On Thursday, 19-year-old Uday Maher Qadous was shot and killed while he was working his land near the northern West Bank village of Iraq Burin alongside his cousin.
The Israeli military on Friday condemned both events and said settler suspects had been arrested.
"The security forces wish to condemn the two violent incidents of the past 24 hours," said a statement from Israel's Civil Administration, the military department which maintains civil control over areas labeled "area C" across the occupied West Bank.
"The Israeli police have started a thorough investigation of the events with the Israel Defence Forces and the Civil Administration, in cooperation with Palestinian Security forces," it said.
"So far, a number of Israeli settlers were arrested in suspicion of involvement in the recent events," it said, and warned both sides to keep the peace. "Action will be taken against all forms of violence on either side."
Villagers in Iraq Burin, where a 19-year-old farmer was shot the day before, reported a large military presence in the village, and said roads in and out had been partially blocked.
2 settlers suspected of killing Palestinian
The police will ask to extend the remand of two settlers, aged 29 and 24, on suspicion of shooting and killing a Palestinian youngster. The two were detained Friday.
The suspects will face a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's
The boy and a second villager were both injured, with the second casualty suffering only moderate injuries. The settler shooting incident was the second in as many days.
On Thursday, 19-year-old Uday Maher Qadous was shot and killed while he was working his land near the northern West Bank village of Iraq Burin alongside his cousin.
The Israeli military on Friday condemned both events and said settler suspects had been arrested.
"The security forces wish to condemn the two violent incidents of the past 24 hours," said a statement from Israel's Civil Administration, the military department which maintains civil control over areas labeled "area C" across the occupied West Bank.
"The Israeli police have started a thorough investigation of the events with the Israel Defence Forces and the Civil Administration, in cooperation with Palestinian Security forces," it said.
"So far, a number of Israeli settlers were arrested in suspicion of involvement in the recent events," it said, and warned both sides to keep the peace. "Action will be taken against all forms of violence on either side."
Villagers in Iraq Burin, where a 19-year-old farmer was shot the day before, reported a large military presence in the village, and said roads in and out had been partially blocked.
2 settlers suspected of killing Palestinian
The police will ask to extend the remand of two settlers, aged 29 and 24, on suspicion of shooting and killing a Palestinian youngster. The two were detained Friday.
The suspects will face a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's
28 jan 2011
Two Palestinians were injured Thursday, by a group of religious Jews locals described as settlers from a nearby area. One man was beaten and the second shot, and said to be "clinically dead."
The shooting is the second in as many days.
Spokesman for the village Mohammad Awad said that more than 150 settlers from Bay Ayin had descended from the illegal hilltop community and entered the village of Safa early in the morning.
Clashes were reported between the settlers and the villagers, who told Awad that the armed religious Jews were using live fire against the residents.
After the start of clashes Israeli forces arrived on the scene and evacuated the settlers from the area, Awad said.
Sources in Hebron's Al-Ahli Hospital identified those injured as Yousef Fakhri Mousa Ikhleil, 17, said to be on life support after doctors treated him for gunshot wounds to the head. Murad Ikhliel, 23, was said to have sustained multiple bone fractures to his hand.
The incident comes the day after a farmer was shot and killed by settlers in the northern West Bank.
On Thursday, 19-year-old Uday Maher Qadous was shot and killed while he was working his land near the northern West Bank village of Iraq Burin alongside his cousin.
Just before one o'clock, workers from the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq recorded, Uday noticed that some of his sheep had gone missing and went to look for them in the fields nearby, and walked toward the Bracha settlement.
At one in the afternoon Uday's cousin Umar told Al-Haq that he heard a gunshot, and went to investigate. He said he waked in the same direction as his cousin, and said he saw Uday lying on the ground surrounded by four settlers holding pistols. He said he feared for his own life and hid nearby for at least half an hour before the settlers left.
When the armed settlers returned to the settlement, Umar told the rights group, he went up to Uday's body and found him non-responsive. He said he tried to carry the body for a while, but then decided to run to the nearby village and ask for help. A horse was brought to the scene and Uday's body was transported to hospital, where he was declared dead.
Al-Haq said that a preliminary medical examination showed that Uday was killed by a bullet that entered from the top left-hand side of his chest and went through diagonally to the lower right-hand side of his chest, remaining in the body, causing severe internal bleeding and bone damage
The shooting is the second in as many days.
Spokesman for the village Mohammad Awad said that more than 150 settlers from Bay Ayin had descended from the illegal hilltop community and entered the village of Safa early in the morning.
Clashes were reported between the settlers and the villagers, who told Awad that the armed religious Jews were using live fire against the residents.
After the start of clashes Israeli forces arrived on the scene and evacuated the settlers from the area, Awad said.
Sources in Hebron's Al-Ahli Hospital identified those injured as Yousef Fakhri Mousa Ikhleil, 17, said to be on life support after doctors treated him for gunshot wounds to the head. Murad Ikhliel, 23, was said to have sustained multiple bone fractures to his hand.
The incident comes the day after a farmer was shot and killed by settlers in the northern West Bank.
On Thursday, 19-year-old Uday Maher Qadous was shot and killed while he was working his land near the northern West Bank village of Iraq Burin alongside his cousin.
Just before one o'clock, workers from the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq recorded, Uday noticed that some of his sheep had gone missing and went to look for them in the fields nearby, and walked toward the Bracha settlement.
At one in the afternoon Uday's cousin Umar told Al-Haq that he heard a gunshot, and went to investigate. He said he waked in the same direction as his cousin, and said he saw Uday lying on the ground surrounded by four settlers holding pistols. He said he feared for his own life and hid nearby for at least half an hour before the settlers left.
When the armed settlers returned to the settlement, Umar told the rights group, he went up to Uday's body and found him non-responsive. He said he tried to carry the body for a while, but then decided to run to the nearby village and ask for help. A horse was brought to the scene and Uday's body was transported to hospital, where he was declared dead.
Al-Haq said that a preliminary medical examination showed that Uday was killed by a bullet that entered from the top left-hand side of his chest and went through diagonally to the lower right-hand side of his chest, remaining in the body, causing severe internal bleeding and bone damage
27 jan 2011
Police conclude that unidentified man killed Palestinian teen after being attacked by him, his friends. Samaria Settlers' Committee responds, 'Report proves leftists automatically adopt Arab blood libels against settlers'
Police said Thursday that a man, apparently a settler, who shot and killed a 19-year old Palestinian Thursday in the West Bank, had been attacked by a group of Arabs and was acting in self defense.
The man has not yet been identified and police are not sure of his whereabouts.
A police investigation has concluded that the shooter, who was armed with a gun, was walking alone on a path near the village of Iraq Burin when he was attacked.
The man tried to ward off his assailants, but one of them approached him with a stone, police said. He fired a single shot and fled the scene. The victim has been identified as Udai Maher Qadous.
Ynet has learned that the police are relying on testimony given by one of the Arab youths, as well as footage from an IDF security camera at the scene.
The Samaria Settlers' Committee responded by stating, "Today it was once again proven that Arab blood libels against Jews are automatically adopted by leftist organizations that incite against settlers. After it was proved that this was self-defense, we expect everyone to apologize."
Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said, "I am glad police exposed today the truth behind the Arab plot. Unfortunately these plots are usually made public in a manner that harms and libels the Jewish population."
Yitzhar spokesman Avraham Binyamin responded to the report as well. "The police announcement proves once again that the Arabs have blood on their hands. The hands of the extreme leftist organizations are filthy as well, for touting Arab blood libels," he said.
Palestinian sources presented a different version, however. They claim settlers from Yitzhar came to the village and began assaulting people. At some stage they opened fire and killed a resident, sources say.
Head of Iraq Burin's local council, Abd al-Rahim Kadus, told Ynet his version. "Udai Qadous went with his cousin to the fields near the village. The fields are located underneath the settlement of Har Bracha, and at some stage shots were fired at them from the settlement. The shots wounded him in the chest. Then the settlers came down, beat them, and fled," he said.
Police said Thursday that a man, apparently a settler, who shot and killed a 19-year old Palestinian Thursday in the West Bank, had been attacked by a group of Arabs and was acting in self defense.
The man has not yet been identified and police are not sure of his whereabouts.
A police investigation has concluded that the shooter, who was armed with a gun, was walking alone on a path near the village of Iraq Burin when he was attacked.
The man tried to ward off his assailants, but one of them approached him with a stone, police said. He fired a single shot and fled the scene. The victim has been identified as Udai Maher Qadous.
Ynet has learned that the police are relying on testimony given by one of the Arab youths, as well as footage from an IDF security camera at the scene.
The Samaria Settlers' Committee responded by stating, "Today it was once again proven that Arab blood libels against Jews are automatically adopted by leftist organizations that incite against settlers. After it was proved that this was self-defense, we expect everyone to apologize."
Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said, "I am glad police exposed today the truth behind the Arab plot. Unfortunately these plots are usually made public in a manner that harms and libels the Jewish population."
Yitzhar spokesman Avraham Binyamin responded to the report as well. "The police announcement proves once again that the Arabs have blood on their hands. The hands of the extreme leftist organizations are filthy as well, for touting Arab blood libels," he said.
Palestinian sources presented a different version, however. They claim settlers from Yitzhar came to the village and began assaulting people. At some stage they opened fire and killed a resident, sources say.
Head of Iraq Burin's local council, Abd al-Rahim Kadus, told Ynet his version. "Udai Qadous went with his cousin to the fields near the village. The fields are located underneath the settlement of Har Bracha, and at some stage shots were fired at them from the settlement. The shots wounded him in the chest. Then the settlers came down, beat them, and fled," he said.
Family and friends gather to mourn Ady Maher Qadous, 19. An Israeli settler shot the Palestinian teenager near Yitzhar settlement, and he died of internal bleeding later in the day, a Palestinian Authority official said.
Palestinian security officials claim West Bank Jews shot 19 year old in village near Nablus. Settlers: Another blood libel.
Palestinian security officials claimed that a 19-year-old Palestinian was shot to death by Jewish settlers on Thursday in the village of Iraq Burin, located near Nablus in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinians, settlers from Yitzhar arrived at the village and began attacking people. At some point, they claimed, the settlers opened fire and killed Udai Maher Qadous. Palestinian medical officials who were alerted to the scene said the teenager was hit in the chest. He was evacuated to a hospital in Nablus, where he died of his wounds, the officials reported.
Iraq Burin Council Head Abd Elrahim Qadous told Ynet, "Udai walked with his cousin to the fields near the village. The fields are situated just beneath the Har Bracha settlement, and at a certain point shots were fired at them from the settlement. The gunshots hurt (Udai's) chest. Then the settlers came down, beat them and fled the scene."
The IDF could not confirm the report, and settler leaders said they had no knowledge of any shooting. "This would not be the first time the Palestinians kill one another for criminal or other reasons and blame the settlers," one of the West Bank's Jewish leaders said.
"It is a sort of blood libel aimed at promoting Palestinian interests," he said.
The Civil Administration said it had indeed received a complaint from the Palestinians, but questioned the credibility of the report, as it was not published as soon as the teenager died in the morning hours.
Earlier, Palestinians said a commercial vehicle had been set on fire overnight in the northern West Bank village of Ein Abus.
The vehicle was torched at around 3 am. The perpetrators spray-painted "Eye for an eye we won't forget" in Hebrew next to it.
Ein Abus resident Mahmoud Rian said he was certain Jewish settlers were behind the act. "This is not the first time this has happened. Settlers from Yitzhar come here whenever they are angry about something - regardless of whether we have anything to do with it and cause damage," he said, adding that the vehicle was burned completely.
Medics: Settler kills Palestinian protester
An Israeli settler killed a young Palestinian protester in the northern West Bank on Thursday, officials said.
Medics identified the victim as Ady Maher Qadous, 19. He suffered several gunshots to the chest and died of internal bleeding at Rafidiyeh Hospital in Nablus, they said.
Approximately 70 villagers and other locals had marched out toward the illegal Yitzhar settlement and were protesting when a settler opened fire, a Palestinian Authority official said.
The official, Ghassan Daghlus, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, said those responsible for the killing were from the Yitzhar settlement.
Earlier, locals accused settlers of setting fire to a car near Einabus village south of Yitzhar.
Next to the torched car, Daghlas said, the settlers spray-painted in Hebrew "we won't forget the evacuation," referring to the recent dismantling of an illegal settlement outpost not far from Yitzhar, on Jan. 12.
The man's cousin, Omar Qadous, told AFP that the incident occurred as he and Uday were working farmland near their village.
He said one of a group of four settlers standing on a nearby hilltop opened fire, hitting Uday in the chest.
The Israeli military said it had received a complaint saying that a settler had shot a Palestinian in Iraq Burin and passed the information on to police.
The police had no immediate information on the incident.
A settler source in the northern West Bank told AFP he had no knowledge of the incident.
"It would not be the first time that we are blamed when these Arabs murder each other, sometimes because of family honor issues," he said.
Palestinian security officials claim West Bank Jews shot 19 year old in village near Nablus. Settlers: Another blood libel.
Palestinian security officials claimed that a 19-year-old Palestinian was shot to death by Jewish settlers on Thursday in the village of Iraq Burin, located near Nablus in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinians, settlers from Yitzhar arrived at the village and began attacking people. At some point, they claimed, the settlers opened fire and killed Udai Maher Qadous. Palestinian medical officials who were alerted to the scene said the teenager was hit in the chest. He was evacuated to a hospital in Nablus, where he died of his wounds, the officials reported.
Iraq Burin Council Head Abd Elrahim Qadous told Ynet, "Udai walked with his cousin to the fields near the village. The fields are situated just beneath the Har Bracha settlement, and at a certain point shots were fired at them from the settlement. The gunshots hurt (Udai's) chest. Then the settlers came down, beat them and fled the scene."
The IDF could not confirm the report, and settler leaders said they had no knowledge of any shooting. "This would not be the first time the Palestinians kill one another for criminal or other reasons and blame the settlers," one of the West Bank's Jewish leaders said.
"It is a sort of blood libel aimed at promoting Palestinian interests," he said.
The Civil Administration said it had indeed received a complaint from the Palestinians, but questioned the credibility of the report, as it was not published as soon as the teenager died in the morning hours.
Earlier, Palestinians said a commercial vehicle had been set on fire overnight in the northern West Bank village of Ein Abus.
The vehicle was torched at around 3 am. The perpetrators spray-painted "Eye for an eye we won't forget" in Hebrew next to it.
Ein Abus resident Mahmoud Rian said he was certain Jewish settlers were behind the act. "This is not the first time this has happened. Settlers from Yitzhar come here whenever they are angry about something - regardless of whether we have anything to do with it and cause damage," he said, adding that the vehicle was burned completely.
Medics: Settler kills Palestinian protester
An Israeli settler killed a young Palestinian protester in the northern West Bank on Thursday, officials said.
Medics identified the victim as Ady Maher Qadous, 19. He suffered several gunshots to the chest and died of internal bleeding at Rafidiyeh Hospital in Nablus, they said.
Approximately 70 villagers and other locals had marched out toward the illegal Yitzhar settlement and were protesting when a settler opened fire, a Palestinian Authority official said.
The official, Ghassan Daghlus, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, said those responsible for the killing were from the Yitzhar settlement.
Earlier, locals accused settlers of setting fire to a car near Einabus village south of Yitzhar.
Next to the torched car, Daghlas said, the settlers spray-painted in Hebrew "we won't forget the evacuation," referring to the recent dismantling of an illegal settlement outpost not far from Yitzhar, on Jan. 12.
The man's cousin, Omar Qadous, told AFP that the incident occurred as he and Uday were working farmland near their village.
He said one of a group of four settlers standing on a nearby hilltop opened fire, hitting Uday in the chest.
The Israeli military said it had received a complaint saying that a settler had shot a Palestinian in Iraq Burin and passed the information on to police.
The police had no immediate information on the incident.
A settler source in the northern West Bank told AFP he had no knowledge of the incident.
"It would not be the first time that we are blamed when these Arabs murder each other, sometimes because of family honor issues," he said.
20 jan 2011
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CAUTION GRAPHIC CONTENT
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No discharge for soldier who initiated Hebron slaying
The Israeli military announced late Wednesday evening that the soldier who killed a civilian in his Hebron home would not be discharged, while a second officer who joined in the killing would have his military career "terminated."
The investigation looked into the death of the death of a civilian during an arrest raid in Hebron targeting Hamas men released from PA custody the day before, where Israeli forces shot and killed a 66-year-old man in his bed, in what appeared to be a case of mistaken identity. Investigating officer GOC Central Command, Major General Avi Mizrahi was said in a statement to have absolved the officer who started shooting at the sleeping Omer Salim Al-Qawasmi. |
The statement said "a suspicious movement [..] caused the soldier to feel that his life was threatened."
According to the statement, the soldiers fear was excused, "especially having known about the actions of Wael Bitar, a senior Hamas operative who was the main suspect of the arrest operation."
Al-Bitar, who was detained in June 2008 by what witnesses at the time said were Israeli forces. The arrest followed a violent standoff as Israeli soldiers surrounded and demolished Al-Bitar's home, after demanding he give up a man who was staying in the building and stood accused of assisting a resistance fighter. The home was demolished around Al-Bitar, and the alleged fighter he was harboring killed in the demolitions. Later reports said Al-Bitar was detained by PA intelligence officials.
Israeli military officials said Al-Bitar assisted in the planning of a 2008 attack that killed one Israeli woman, and was behind the planning of several attacks that were thwarted.
A second soldier, who was also said to have fired on the sleeping man, was found by the inquiry to have "acted unprofessionaly."
The unidentified officer, "who, having watched the first soldier firing at Qawasme, began firing at him as well."
According to the military statement the investigating officer concluded that "while the second soldier did feel threatened, he acted unprofessionaly [... and] ordered that the soldier's military term be terminated."
It was not clear whether the soldier was honorably or dishonorably discharged.
Mizrahi was said to have "concluded that this firing was executed in accordance with IDF rules of engagement," though the statement said the death of Al-Qawasmi was "regrettable."
According to a security source, the officers were part of the "'Duvdevan' counter-terrorism elite unit" which was "called in for an arrest operation in the city of Hebron."
The source described the unit as "a professional, elite unit specializing in close combat, camouflage and assimilation into hostile territory."
Al-Qawasmi was shot 13 times in the face, neck at torso as he slept.
According to the statement, the soldiers fear was excused, "especially having known about the actions of Wael Bitar, a senior Hamas operative who was the main suspect of the arrest operation."
Al-Bitar, who was detained in June 2008 by what witnesses at the time said were Israeli forces. The arrest followed a violent standoff as Israeli soldiers surrounded and demolished Al-Bitar's home, after demanding he give up a man who was staying in the building and stood accused of assisting a resistance fighter. The home was demolished around Al-Bitar, and the alleged fighter he was harboring killed in the demolitions. Later reports said Al-Bitar was detained by PA intelligence officials.
Israeli military officials said Al-Bitar assisted in the planning of a 2008 attack that killed one Israeli woman, and was behind the planning of several attacks that were thwarted.
A second soldier, who was also said to have fired on the sleeping man, was found by the inquiry to have "acted unprofessionaly."
The unidentified officer, "who, having watched the first soldier firing at Qawasme, began firing at him as well."
According to the military statement the investigating officer concluded that "while the second soldier did feel threatened, he acted unprofessionaly [... and] ordered that the soldier's military term be terminated."
It was not clear whether the soldier was honorably or dishonorably discharged.
Mizrahi was said to have "concluded that this firing was executed in accordance with IDF rules of engagement," though the statement said the death of Al-Qawasmi was "regrettable."
According to a security source, the officers were part of the "'Duvdevan' counter-terrorism elite unit" which was "called in for an arrest operation in the city of Hebron."
The source described the unit as "a professional, elite unit specializing in close combat, camouflage and assimilation into hostile territory."
Al-Qawasmi was shot 13 times in the face, neck at torso as he slept.
Amr Qawasme's widow displaying his portrait on bed where IDF murdered him
A few days ago we had the killing of 36 year-old Jawaher Abu Rahme at a Bilin demonstration for the crime of standing outside her home watching the event.
Today, the IDF Central Command has blood on its hands with the execution of a 65 year-old Palestinian man in his bed while they held a gun to his wife’s head and told her to shut up. Ynet: Victim shot to death for “unknown reasons:”
Amr Qawasme, 65, shot to death for unknown reason as soldiers raid house in Hebron area. ‘They put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head,’ man’s wife says. ‘I asked them, ‘What did you do?’ They asked me to shut up.’
You bet. He died while Palestinian. It’s getting to be where just sleeping while Palestinian is a death sentence. Don’t need much more than that to become a victim of this occupying army.
Oops, it was all a case of mistaken identity. They wanted a Hamas man who lived one flight down:
An IDF force arrived at a local house to arrest a Hamas member who was recently released from jail. According to neighbors, the detainee lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
A few days ago we had the killing of 36 year-old Jawaher Abu Rahme at a Bilin demonstration for the crime of standing outside her home watching the event.
Today, the IDF Central Command has blood on its hands with the execution of a 65 year-old Palestinian man in his bed while they held a gun to his wife’s head and told her to shut up. Ynet: Victim shot to death for “unknown reasons:”
Amr Qawasme, 65, shot to death for unknown reason as soldiers raid house in Hebron area. ‘They put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head,’ man’s wife says. ‘I asked them, ‘What did you do?’ They asked me to shut up.’
You bet. He died while Palestinian. It’s getting to be where just sleeping while Palestinian is a death sentence. Don’t need much more than that to become a victim of this occupying army.
Oops, it was all a case of mistaken identity. They wanted a Hamas man who lived one flight down:
An IDF force arrived at a local house to arrest a Hamas member who was recently released from jail. According to neighbors, the detainee lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi commanded troops who murdered Amr Qawasme
An IDF force arrived at a local house to arrest a Hamas member who was recently released from jail. According to neighbors, the detainee lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
So who do you think fucked this one up? The Shabak or IDF intelligence? Can you imagine giving soldiers the wrong floor of a home and they go in guns blazing and kill the wrong man? It reminds me of the killing of Black Panther Fred Hampton by the FBI and Chicago Police. A shande.
Edo, from whom I first heard this story, correctly calls for the Central Command senior officer to be tried as a criminal. Your troops kill an old man in his bed. What does that make you? Are you any more than a dog? Actually I love my dog so maybe you're not even worthy of that distinction.
You want to prove you're higher than that on the evolutionary scale? Hold someone accountable for this crime. If you don't, you don't even deserve to be called a dog.
An IDF force arrived at a local house to arrest a Hamas member who was recently released from jail. According to neighbors, the detainee lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
So who do you think fucked this one up? The Shabak or IDF intelligence? Can you imagine giving soldiers the wrong floor of a home and they go in guns blazing and kill the wrong man? It reminds me of the killing of Black Panther Fred Hampton by the FBI and Chicago Police. A shande.
Edo, from whom I first heard this story, correctly calls for the Central Command senior officer to be tried as a criminal. Your troops kill an old man in his bed. What does that make you? Are you any more than a dog? Actually I love my dog so maybe you're not even worthy of that distinction.
You want to prove you're higher than that on the evolutionary scale? Hold someone accountable for this crime. If you don't, you don't even deserve to be called a dog.
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Hamas, Fatah at funeral: Occupation killed in cold blood
Reps from rival Palestinian factions attend funeral of 65-year-old Hebron man killed accidentally by IDF soldiers. Dozens call for revenge.
Some 4,000 people, including senior Fatah and Hamas figures, attended on Friday the funeral of 65-year-old Amr Qawasme, a Hebron resident who was accidentally shot to death by IDF soldiers overnight.
"The Israeli occupation committed a stupid act when it killed a man who was sleeping in his bed in cold blood, with 13 bullets," said Hamas member Aziz Duwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council. "They do not want us (Hamas and Fatah) to reconcile and are imposing their divide and rule policy, but it will fail."
Qawasme was killed when soldiers entered an apartment on the second floor of a building in Hebron to arrest Wael Mahmad Said Bitar, a Hamas member who was released from jail Thursday by the Palestinian Authority.
The soldiers shot and hit Amr Qawasme, apparently because they thought he was attacking them. According to neighbors, Bitar lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
Qawasme's wife said he was asleep when soldiers broke into his home before dawn.
The army said in a statement that Central Command Chief Major-General Avi Mizrahi had ordered Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, to launch a swift investigation into the incident.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit expressed its regret over the killing.
According to Palestinian news outlets, the funeral procession was led by Hebron governor Kamil Hamid, Minister of Local Government Khalid Qawasmi and Duwaik.
Parliament members from Hamas and Fatah also attended the funeral, as did senior members of the various Palestinian factions and security officials from Hebron.
Following the noon prayer dozens of the West Bank city's residents called to avenge Qawasme's death.
"Baruch Marzel and settler gangs are trying to rule over us and deteriorate the area to chaos," Hamid said.
Hebron man's wife: Punish troops who shot him
IDF probing death of 65-year-old Amr Qawasme, claiming soldiers opened fire due to suspicious movement. His wife rejects explanation, tells Ynet: 'They are lying, he was asleep when they killed him.' Division commander: Such tragic events happen .
The Israel Defense Forces expressed its regret over the death of Amr Qawasme, 65, who was shot by soldiers during a detention operation in Hebron. But his wife, Sobheye, finds no comfort in the apology.
Left with nine children, she claims the soldiers lied when they said her husband had threatened them. "We are human beings. The Israeli side must respect us," she told Ynet on Friday.
Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon addressed the Hebron incident on Friday afternoon, saying that the force opened fire after spotting a suspicious movement from Qawasme's direction while entering an apartment in the area.
"You must see it from the perspective of the force, which arrived to arrest terror activists, after a quick standing operation procedure. Such an incident, as tragic as it may be, can happen among dozens and hundreds of arrest which end without any casualties."
Qawasme's family says he was asleep when he was shot, but the IDF claims he wasn't in bed and his hand was hidden. The soldiers thought he was hiding a weapon or another device with which he may have threatened them.
"We will continue probing the event to understand exactly what happened," Alon said. "I don't think there is any reason to fear that the incident will affect our relations with the Palestinians or any other aspects."
'60 armed soldiers broke into our house'
Qawasme's wife described the events that occurred in her house early on Friday morning. "They broke into our house, about 60 armed soldiers. When they broke in I was praying but I immediately stopped to see what they wanted.
"One of the soldiers forcibly closed my mouth with his hand while another went into my old and ill husband's room and shot him in the head until he was dead," she said in tears. "Everything that happened was simply an act of vengeance on Palestinian families."
"My crippled son was in the house during the incident, he is in a very rough mental state. I myself have yet to digest the events, how and why it happened. Everything the soldiers said about my husband trying to attack them or interrupt them was a lie %u2013 he was killed while he was sleeping. I can barely stand on my own two feet, our economic situation is very bad and I don't know how I will deal with life after this disaster which has fallen on our heads."
She added that "we will not stand by and allow this disaster to be forgotten. We will make every effort to reach the people who shot my husband and caused his death. We will ask the responsible elements to punish those responsible for the mental, social and financial anguish they have caused us."
The Palestinian police have also launched an investigation into the incident, claiming that IDF forces made a mistake when they entered the second floor of the building instead of the first floor. "We will appeal to the responsible elements to intervene."
IDF expresses regret over Hebron killing
Central Command chief orders swift investigation into death of 65-year-old Palestinian man during detention operation. Amr Qawasme's wife says he was asleep when troops raided house; soldiers thought he was attacking them.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit on Friday expressed its regret over the killing of a 65-year-old Palestinian during a detention operation in Hebron on Thursday night.
The army said in a statement that Central Command Chief Major-General Avi Mizrahi had ordered Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, to launch a swift investigation into the incident.
Sources familiar with detention activities in the West Bank admitted that the details published so far reveal that the Palestinian man's death was likely a mishap.
"IDF forces conduct arrests of this kind almost every night. This was also a relatively routine incident, not a complicated one and not a detention of senior wanted terror suspects," said a military source.
"The force conducting the arrest usually receives accurate information and is prepared for 'surprises' of different types, including being fired on by the wanted man or his people. In this case there were no gunshots, so the final outcome is grave and appears unnecessary. The investigation will have to look into the reasons for opening fire at the Palestinians and why it was fatal."
The source added that IDF forces involved in detention activities are instructed to be very cautious and direct their activity at the target only. "Anyone around him, including his family members, is not part of the mission and is mostly put into a side room.
"The details of tonight's incident reveal that the killed Palestinian did not run towards the soldiers. They might have thought he was waving a weapon, otherwise it's hard to explain the reason."
'Soldiers put a rifle to my head'
An IDF force raided Hebron in a bid to arrest five Hamas members released from jail Thursday by the Palestinian Authority, which gave in to their hunger strike. During the detention operation, soldiers entered an apartment on the second floor of a building in the city to arrest Wael Mahmad Said Bitar.
The soldiers shot and hit Amr Qawasme, apparently because they thought he was attacking them. According to neighbors, Bitar lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
Qawasme's wife said he was asleep when soldiers broke into his home before dawn. The wife, Sobheye, said they brushed past her into the bedroom, where she heard several shots fired. When she went in, she found her husband in a pool of blood.
"I was praying when they entered. I do not know how they opened the door. They put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head," she told Reuters after Qawasme's body was removed.
"I was shocked. They did not allow me to talk. I asked them, 'What did you do?' They asked me to shut up."
The soldiers said they fired at a figure moving towards them. Five wanted terror suspects were arrested during Thursday night's operation, including Bitar.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Bitar aided Shahab Natashe, who executed twin suicide bombings in the southern city of Dimona in February 2008, which left one woman killed and 10 injured. After Shahab's assassination, Bitar led suicide bombings which were thwarted. He was arrested by the Palestinian Authority's security forces in September 2008 and released Thursday.
Reps from rival Palestinian factions attend funeral of 65-year-old Hebron man killed accidentally by IDF soldiers. Dozens call for revenge.
Some 4,000 people, including senior Fatah and Hamas figures, attended on Friday the funeral of 65-year-old Amr Qawasme, a Hebron resident who was accidentally shot to death by IDF soldiers overnight.
"The Israeli occupation committed a stupid act when it killed a man who was sleeping in his bed in cold blood, with 13 bullets," said Hamas member Aziz Duwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council. "They do not want us (Hamas and Fatah) to reconcile and are imposing their divide and rule policy, but it will fail."
Qawasme was killed when soldiers entered an apartment on the second floor of a building in Hebron to arrest Wael Mahmad Said Bitar, a Hamas member who was released from jail Thursday by the Palestinian Authority.
The soldiers shot and hit Amr Qawasme, apparently because they thought he was attacking them. According to neighbors, Bitar lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
Qawasme's wife said he was asleep when soldiers broke into his home before dawn.
The army said in a statement that Central Command Chief Major-General Avi Mizrahi had ordered Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, to launch a swift investigation into the incident.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit expressed its regret over the killing.
According to Palestinian news outlets, the funeral procession was led by Hebron governor Kamil Hamid, Minister of Local Government Khalid Qawasmi and Duwaik.
Parliament members from Hamas and Fatah also attended the funeral, as did senior members of the various Palestinian factions and security officials from Hebron.
Following the noon prayer dozens of the West Bank city's residents called to avenge Qawasme's death.
"Baruch Marzel and settler gangs are trying to rule over us and deteriorate the area to chaos," Hamid said.
Hebron man's wife: Punish troops who shot him
IDF probing death of 65-year-old Amr Qawasme, claiming soldiers opened fire due to suspicious movement. His wife rejects explanation, tells Ynet: 'They are lying, he was asleep when they killed him.' Division commander: Such tragic events happen .
The Israel Defense Forces expressed its regret over the death of Amr Qawasme, 65, who was shot by soldiers during a detention operation in Hebron. But his wife, Sobheye, finds no comfort in the apology.
Left with nine children, she claims the soldiers lied when they said her husband had threatened them. "We are human beings. The Israeli side must respect us," she told Ynet on Friday.
Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon addressed the Hebron incident on Friday afternoon, saying that the force opened fire after spotting a suspicious movement from Qawasme's direction while entering an apartment in the area.
"You must see it from the perspective of the force, which arrived to arrest terror activists, after a quick standing operation procedure. Such an incident, as tragic as it may be, can happen among dozens and hundreds of arrest which end without any casualties."
Qawasme's family says he was asleep when he was shot, but the IDF claims he wasn't in bed and his hand was hidden. The soldiers thought he was hiding a weapon or another device with which he may have threatened them.
"We will continue probing the event to understand exactly what happened," Alon said. "I don't think there is any reason to fear that the incident will affect our relations with the Palestinians or any other aspects."
'60 armed soldiers broke into our house'
Qawasme's wife described the events that occurred in her house early on Friday morning. "They broke into our house, about 60 armed soldiers. When they broke in I was praying but I immediately stopped to see what they wanted.
"One of the soldiers forcibly closed my mouth with his hand while another went into my old and ill husband's room and shot him in the head until he was dead," she said in tears. "Everything that happened was simply an act of vengeance on Palestinian families."
"My crippled son was in the house during the incident, he is in a very rough mental state. I myself have yet to digest the events, how and why it happened. Everything the soldiers said about my husband trying to attack them or interrupt them was a lie %u2013 he was killed while he was sleeping. I can barely stand on my own two feet, our economic situation is very bad and I don't know how I will deal with life after this disaster which has fallen on our heads."
She added that "we will not stand by and allow this disaster to be forgotten. We will make every effort to reach the people who shot my husband and caused his death. We will ask the responsible elements to punish those responsible for the mental, social and financial anguish they have caused us."
The Palestinian police have also launched an investigation into the incident, claiming that IDF forces made a mistake when they entered the second floor of the building instead of the first floor. "We will appeal to the responsible elements to intervene."
IDF expresses regret over Hebron killing
Central Command chief orders swift investigation into death of 65-year-old Palestinian man during detention operation. Amr Qawasme's wife says he was asleep when troops raided house; soldiers thought he was attacking them.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit on Friday expressed its regret over the killing of a 65-year-old Palestinian during a detention operation in Hebron on Thursday night.
The army said in a statement that Central Command Chief Major-General Avi Mizrahi had ordered Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, to launch a swift investigation into the incident.
Sources familiar with detention activities in the West Bank admitted that the details published so far reveal that the Palestinian man's death was likely a mishap.
"IDF forces conduct arrests of this kind almost every night. This was also a relatively routine incident, not a complicated one and not a detention of senior wanted terror suspects," said a military source.
"The force conducting the arrest usually receives accurate information and is prepared for 'surprises' of different types, including being fired on by the wanted man or his people. In this case there were no gunshots, so the final outcome is grave and appears unnecessary. The investigation will have to look into the reasons for opening fire at the Palestinians and why it was fatal."
The source added that IDF forces involved in detention activities are instructed to be very cautious and direct their activity at the target only. "Anyone around him, including his family members, is not part of the mission and is mostly put into a side room.
"The details of tonight's incident reveal that the killed Palestinian did not run towards the soldiers. They might have thought he was waving a weapon, otherwise it's hard to explain the reason."
'Soldiers put a rifle to my head'
An IDF force raided Hebron in a bid to arrest five Hamas members released from jail Thursday by the Palestinian Authority, which gave in to their hunger strike. During the detention operation, soldiers entered an apartment on the second floor of a building in the city to arrest Wael Mahmad Said Bitar.
The soldiers shot and hit Amr Qawasme, apparently because they thought he was attacking them. According to neighbors, Bitar lives one storey below the killed Palestinian.
Qawasme's wife said he was asleep when soldiers broke into his home before dawn. The wife, Sobheye, said they brushed past her into the bedroom, where she heard several shots fired. When she went in, she found her husband in a pool of blood.
"I was praying when they entered. I do not know how they opened the door. They put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head," she told Reuters after Qawasme's body was removed.
"I was shocked. They did not allow me to talk. I asked them, 'What did you do?' They asked me to shut up."
The soldiers said they fired at a figure moving towards them. Five wanted terror suspects were arrested during Thursday night's operation, including Bitar.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Bitar aided Shahab Natashe, who executed twin suicide bombings in the southern city of Dimona in February 2008, which left one woman killed and 10 injured. After Shahab's assassination, Bitar led suicide bombings which were thwarted. He was arrested by the Palestinian Authority's security forces in September 2008 and released Thursday.
