11 mar 2014
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
Official Palestinian and Jordanian reactions to the cold-blooded murder of Ra'ed (Raji) Ze’ieter by Israeli soldiers on Monday have been minimal and almost totally inadequate to say the very least.
The 38-year-old Jordanian-Palestinian judge was traveling via the Allenby Bridge Crossing when he was shot and killed by a trigger-happy Israeli soldier. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of innocent Palestinians have been murdered this way at the indifferent hands of Gestapo-like Israeli troops.
The soldier who murdered the young judge claimed that Ze'ieter attacked him and tried to snatch his rifle, prompting him to shoot and kill him.
However, there are serious questions as to the veracity of the Israeli account of the incident. Indeed, why would an unarmed man in the prime of his life, who wanted to visit his family, attack crack and heavily armed soldiers, notorious for following the motto "shoot first, and ask questions later."!
Besides, even if the Jordanian judge scuffled with the soldier or soldiers at the Allenby Crossing, there must have been more than one way to neutralize or control the man without killing him.
After all, the man was unarmed and could hardly pose a real threat to the soldiers.
This shows that the murderer wanted to spill blood, pure and simple, knowing that the Israeli state and its racist justice system won't punish but rather award him for the killing.
We who live in occupied Palestine under the Israeli military occupation don't need to indulge in hypothesizing about Israeli behaviors toward the Palestinians. Cold-blooded murder has always been Israel's modus operandi toward our people. It would be naïve to think otherwise.
We all remember how Israeli soldiers during the past two intifadas lured Palestinian school children to get to the streets in order to shoot and kill them. And then we would hear pornographically-dishonest Israeli spokespersons claim that "our soldiers shot into the air and a number of Palestinian children got killed."!
Disgraceful reactions
The murderous killing by Israeli troops of Ra'ed Ze'ieter is not the first and won't be the last of its kind. Israel has always been murdering innocent Arabs knowingly and deliberately since time immemorial. This is the job Israeli soldiers are trained to do.
As to the Israeli government, its media, spokesmen and mouthpieces, their job is first and foremost to justify and rationalize the murderous killings. And in case the projected justifications and rationalizations sound unbelievable or unconvincing, the Israeli lying machine would simply concoct a "rational account" of the given incident.
Both Palestinian and Jordanian authorities have urged the Israeli government to carry out a thorough investigation into what happened. But since when was Israel honest enough to investigate its own crimes? Can murderers and child-killers be trusted to investigate themselves?
Indeed, expecting Israel to conduct a thorough and honest investigation of the latest murder at the Allenby crossing is akin to seeking justice at a thieves' den or seeking safety at a snake's hole.
We are not demanding that Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) launch war on Israel. We know the facts on the ground too well as the two Arab entities are too weak to even think of making a truly pro-active response to Israeli provocation.
But neither Jordan nor the PA is completely helpless. Jordan does have some real diplomatic leverage it can utilize to curtail Israeli insolence and hegemony. Similarly, the PA can threaten to scale down or even stop the ignominious "security" coordination with Israel.
However, a meaningful Arab response to yet another unprovoked murder by Israel of an innocent Arab would require genuine freedom of Arab states from the state of subservience to the US, Israel's guardian-ally.
This gets us to the inevitable conclusion that Israel will continue to murder Arabs at will, with nearly total impunity, especially in the absence of any real deterrent on the part of the Arabs. But this situation can't be sustained forever. Oppression, if allowed to continue, justifies both resistance and violence. The Anglo-American poet W. H. Auden said:
I and the public know,
What all school children learn,
Those to whom evil is done,
Do evil in return.
Official Palestinian and Jordanian reactions to the cold-blooded murder of Ra'ed (Raji) Ze’ieter by Israeli soldiers on Monday have been minimal and almost totally inadequate to say the very least.
The 38-year-old Jordanian-Palestinian judge was traveling via the Allenby Bridge Crossing when he was shot and killed by a trigger-happy Israeli soldier. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of innocent Palestinians have been murdered this way at the indifferent hands of Gestapo-like Israeli troops.
The soldier who murdered the young judge claimed that Ze'ieter attacked him and tried to snatch his rifle, prompting him to shoot and kill him.
However, there are serious questions as to the veracity of the Israeli account of the incident. Indeed, why would an unarmed man in the prime of his life, who wanted to visit his family, attack crack and heavily armed soldiers, notorious for following the motto "shoot first, and ask questions later."!
Besides, even if the Jordanian judge scuffled with the soldier or soldiers at the Allenby Crossing, there must have been more than one way to neutralize or control the man without killing him.
After all, the man was unarmed and could hardly pose a real threat to the soldiers.
This shows that the murderer wanted to spill blood, pure and simple, knowing that the Israeli state and its racist justice system won't punish but rather award him for the killing.
We who live in occupied Palestine under the Israeli military occupation don't need to indulge in hypothesizing about Israeli behaviors toward the Palestinians. Cold-blooded murder has always been Israel's modus operandi toward our people. It would be naïve to think otherwise.
We all remember how Israeli soldiers during the past two intifadas lured Palestinian school children to get to the streets in order to shoot and kill them. And then we would hear pornographically-dishonest Israeli spokespersons claim that "our soldiers shot into the air and a number of Palestinian children got killed."!
Disgraceful reactions
The murderous killing by Israeli troops of Ra'ed Ze'ieter is not the first and won't be the last of its kind. Israel has always been murdering innocent Arabs knowingly and deliberately since time immemorial. This is the job Israeli soldiers are trained to do.
As to the Israeli government, its media, spokesmen and mouthpieces, their job is first and foremost to justify and rationalize the murderous killings. And in case the projected justifications and rationalizations sound unbelievable or unconvincing, the Israeli lying machine would simply concoct a "rational account" of the given incident.
Both Palestinian and Jordanian authorities have urged the Israeli government to carry out a thorough investigation into what happened. But since when was Israel honest enough to investigate its own crimes? Can murderers and child-killers be trusted to investigate themselves?
Indeed, expecting Israel to conduct a thorough and honest investigation of the latest murder at the Allenby crossing is akin to seeking justice at a thieves' den or seeking safety at a snake's hole.
We are not demanding that Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) launch war on Israel. We know the facts on the ground too well as the two Arab entities are too weak to even think of making a truly pro-active response to Israeli provocation.
But neither Jordan nor the PA is completely helpless. Jordan does have some real diplomatic leverage it can utilize to curtail Israeli insolence and hegemony. Similarly, the PA can threaten to scale down or even stop the ignominious "security" coordination with Israel.
However, a meaningful Arab response to yet another unprovoked murder by Israel of an innocent Arab would require genuine freedom of Arab states from the state of subservience to the US, Israel's guardian-ally.
This gets us to the inevitable conclusion that Israel will continue to murder Arabs at will, with nearly total impunity, especially in the absence of any real deterrent on the part of the Arabs. But this situation can't be sustained forever. Oppression, if allowed to continue, justifies both resistance and violence. The Anglo-American poet W. H. Auden said:
I and the public know,
What all school children learn,
Those to whom evil is done,
Do evil in return.
Israel expressed regret on Tuesday over the fatal shooting of a Jordanian-Palestinian judge by Israeli troops at a West Bank border crossing, a statement from the premier's office said.
"Israel regrets the death of Judge Raed Zeiter yesterday (Monday) at the King Hussein (Allenby) bridge and expresses its sympathies to the people and government of Jordan," the statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.
The shooting, which took place on Monday morning, sparked the fury of both Jordan and the Palestinians, with protesters in Amman demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and the abrogation of the two countries' 1994 peace treaty.
The statement said Israel had shared the results of a preliminary inquiry with Amman, and had "agreed to a Jordanian request to establish a joint Israeli-Jordanian team to complete the investigation."
A preliminary investigation by the army published on Tuesday claimed that Zeiter had charged at soldiers with a metal pole, prompting troops to open fire at his legs.
He had then started strangling a soldier, so they opened fire again, it said. He died shortly after.
The joint investigative team was to start its work "promptly,' the statement said, without giving further details.
Zeiter was buried in his home city of Nablus in the northern West Bank earlier on Tuesday, with Jordan calling for the Israeli soldiers who shot him to be punished.
"Israel regrets the death of Judge Raed Zeiter yesterday (Monday) at the King Hussein (Allenby) bridge and expresses its sympathies to the people and government of Jordan," the statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.
The shooting, which took place on Monday morning, sparked the fury of both Jordan and the Palestinians, with protesters in Amman demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and the abrogation of the two countries' 1994 peace treaty.
The statement said Israel had shared the results of a preliminary inquiry with Amman, and had "agreed to a Jordanian request to establish a joint Israeli-Jordanian team to complete the investigation."
A preliminary investigation by the army published on Tuesday claimed that Zeiter had charged at soldiers with a metal pole, prompting troops to open fire at his legs.
He had then started strangling a soldier, so they opened fire again, it said. He died shortly after.
The joint investigative team was to start its work "promptly,' the statement said, without giving further details.
Zeiter was buried in his home city of Nablus in the northern West Bank earlier on Tuesday, with Jordan calling for the Israeli soldiers who shot him to be punished.
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A man shot dead by Israeli forces at the Allenby Bridge crossing was laid to rest in Nablus on Tuesday, locals said.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, who was shot dead on Monday by Israeli soldiers. His wife could not attend the funeral as she does not have Palestinian citizenship. "The Israeli occupation soldiers killed Raed deliberately. If he allegedly provoked a soldier at the |
checkpoint, that soldier could have fired one shot at his foot, but he in fact fired several shots at his body before another soldier fired more shots. It was a targeted assassination," Zieter's nephew Nafi told reporters during the funeral.
Raed had been planning to visit the occupied West Bank for a few days to arrange some legal and administrative issues related to his family's properties, Nafi said.
"They killed my only son in cold blood," said Zeiter's father Ala, who had traveled from Amman.
"My son was unarmed, he wouldn't even know how to use a weapon," Ala Zeiter said, adding that a witness claimed to have seen soldiers insulting his son and throwing him to the ground before shooting him.
Jordan demanded the Israeli soldiers involved be punished.
"After the investigations, tough measures should be taken against those responsible for the shooting," Jordan's Information Minister and government spokesman Mohammad Momani told state-run television.
"We are talking about an unarmed Jordanian civilian being killed on the other side of the border. All Jordanians are angry and have the right to know what happened," he said.
Speaking after the incident, Israel's army said that "the preliminary conclusion of the investigation indicates that the terrorist attacked the soldier. He charged at the soldiers shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) with a metal pole, and then attempted to seize the soldier's weapon prompting the soldiers to respond by firing towards his lower extremities."
Raed had been planning to visit the occupied West Bank for a few days to arrange some legal and administrative issues related to his family's properties, Nafi said.
"They killed my only son in cold blood," said Zeiter's father Ala, who had traveled from Amman.
"My son was unarmed, he wouldn't even know how to use a weapon," Ala Zeiter said, adding that a witness claimed to have seen soldiers insulting his son and throwing him to the ground before shooting him.
Jordan demanded the Israeli soldiers involved be punished.
"After the investigations, tough measures should be taken against those responsible for the shooting," Jordan's Information Minister and government spokesman Mohammad Momani told state-run television.
"We are talking about an unarmed Jordanian civilian being killed on the other side of the border. All Jordanians are angry and have the right to know what happened," he said.
Speaking after the incident, Israel's army said that "the preliminary conclusion of the investigation indicates that the terrorist attacked the soldier. He charged at the soldiers shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) with a metal pole, and then attempted to seize the soldier's weapon prompting the soldiers to respond by firing towards his lower extremities."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh denounced the incident of killing the Jordanian judge, Raed Zuaiter, and informed the Israeli embassy in Amman that the government of Jordan expects a clear report about the incident and asked for an immediate investigation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Jordanian sources pointed out that "Jordan told Israel that it will resort to the release of soldier Ahmed Daqasmeh who killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers on the border between Jordan and Israel."
Meanwhile, dozens of Jordanians gathered “spontaneously” near the Israeli embassy to protest the shooting and demand tough measures by the government.
The protesters, who represented average people, along with political parties, chanted slogans demanding the cancellation of the peace treaty and closing down Israel’s diplomatic mission.
MPs on Monday expressed anger over the killing of Zuaiter, blaming Israel for the “heinous crime”.
The Palestine Committee in the Lower House issued on Monday a statement in which it condemned the incident, demanding the abolishment of the peace treaty with Israel and encouraged the government to expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman and call back the Jordanian envoy in Tel Aviv.
The House Rights and Freedoms Committee chairperson, Rula Hroub, condemned, in a statement carried by Petra, the violent, illegal act targeting a Jordanian civilian. She also expressed her condolences to the Zuaiter family.
Also on Monday, the Reform Bloc at the Lower House led by MP Mejhem Sqour issued a strongly-worded statement, demanding that the prosecutor general move quickly to file a case against the Israeli army.
Veteran MP Khalil Atiyeh described the incident as “very serious” and vowed that lawmakers will exert “maximum pressure on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman”.
Relatives and friends of Zuaiter said he was a calm person and never harmed anyone.
Judge Muwafaq Obeidat said he worked with Zuaiter for three years and was respected by his colleagues.
“We also went together to university; he is a man with high morals, and did not harm anyone,” Obeidat said, noting that Zuaiter is an only son.
According to his relatives, Zuaiter is a PhD holder in law and has two children; one of them was in hospital the day his father was killed.
Meanwhile, dozens of Jordanians gathered “spontaneously” near the Israeli embassy to protest the shooting and demand tough measures by the government.
The protesters, who represented average people, along with political parties, chanted slogans demanding the cancellation of the peace treaty and closing down Israel’s diplomatic mission.
MPs on Monday expressed anger over the killing of Zuaiter, blaming Israel for the “heinous crime”.
The Palestine Committee in the Lower House issued on Monday a statement in which it condemned the incident, demanding the abolishment of the peace treaty with Israel and encouraged the government to expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman and call back the Jordanian envoy in Tel Aviv.
The House Rights and Freedoms Committee chairperson, Rula Hroub, condemned, in a statement carried by Petra, the violent, illegal act targeting a Jordanian civilian. She also expressed her condolences to the Zuaiter family.
Also on Monday, the Reform Bloc at the Lower House led by MP Mejhem Sqour issued a strongly-worded statement, demanding that the prosecutor general move quickly to file a case against the Israeli army.
Veteran MP Khalil Atiyeh described the incident as “very serious” and vowed that lawmakers will exert “maximum pressure on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman”.
Relatives and friends of Zuaiter said he was a calm person and never harmed anyone.
Judge Muwafaq Obeidat said he worked with Zuaiter for three years and was respected by his colleagues.
“We also went together to university; he is a man with high morals, and did not harm anyone,” Obeidat said, noting that Zuaiter is an only son.
According to his relatives, Zuaiter is a PhD holder in law and has two children; one of them was in hospital the day his father was killed.
Ismael Abu Joudah 23
Shaher Abu Shanab 24
Abul Shafe' Muamar 33
Three Palestinians were killed in an Israel airstrike targeted a group of Palestinians northeast of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
PNN reporter said that Israeli reconnaissance planes fired at least one rocket targeted at a group of citizens affiliated with Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, killing the three Palestinians.
The martyrs were identified as: Ismael Abu Joudah, 23, Shaher Abu Shanab, 24, and Abul Shafe' Muamar, 33.
Israeli airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in southern Gaza
An Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, an official said.
Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
Al-Qidra identified the victims as Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and 33-year-old Abd al-Shafi Muammar.
The bodies were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis, al-Qidra said.
Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, said in a statement that the victims were militants affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, an Israeli drone fell in the area of the attack.
Shaher Abu Shanab 24
Abul Shafe' Muamar 33
Three Palestinians were killed in an Israel airstrike targeted a group of Palestinians northeast of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
PNN reporter said that Israeli reconnaissance planes fired at least one rocket targeted at a group of citizens affiliated with Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, killing the three Palestinians.
The martyrs were identified as: Ismael Abu Joudah, 23, Shaher Abu Shanab, 24, and Abul Shafe' Muamar, 33.
Israeli airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in southern Gaza
An Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, an official said.
Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
Al-Qidra identified the victims as Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and 33-year-old Abd al-Shafi Muammar.
The bodies were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis, al-Qidra said.
Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, said in a statement that the victims were militants affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, an Israeli drone fell in the area of the attack.
One of the Islamic Jihad members killed in the Israeli air strike
Three Palestinians have been killed and seven wounded in an internal explosion in a Beit Hanon town home, northern Gaza Strip. Ashraf al-Qidra, the health ministry spokesman, confirmed the incident.
Three others affiliated to Islamic Jihad earlier on Tuesday were killed in an air strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Medical crews have moved the bodies of three died in an Israeli strike,” Health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra told ALRAY.
He identified the Palestinians killed as Ismail Abu Joudeh, Abdel Shafi Abu Mo'mar, 23, and Shaher Abu Shanab, 24.
ALRAY reporter said the three Islamic Jihad members were driving a motorcycle near once commercial crossing - 'Sufa' in southern Gaza Strip.
The targeting came hours after Israeli occupation tanks crossed into agricultural land bordering the security fence.
The air strike came just hours after the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, took over an unmanned Israeli drone used for surveillance and missile strikes in the same area, east of Khan Younis.
The Al Qassam Information Office released photos of the Israeli drone found on the border.
AFP quoted the Israeli military as saying the fallen drone crashed.
Three Palestinians have been killed and seven wounded in an internal explosion in a Beit Hanon town home, northern Gaza Strip. Ashraf al-Qidra, the health ministry spokesman, confirmed the incident.
Three others affiliated to Islamic Jihad earlier on Tuesday were killed in an air strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Medical crews have moved the bodies of three died in an Israeli strike,” Health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra told ALRAY.
He identified the Palestinians killed as Ismail Abu Joudeh, Abdel Shafi Abu Mo'mar, 23, and Shaher Abu Shanab, 24.
ALRAY reporter said the three Islamic Jihad members were driving a motorcycle near once commercial crossing - 'Sufa' in southern Gaza Strip.
The targeting came hours after Israeli occupation tanks crossed into agricultural land bordering the security fence.
The air strike came just hours after the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, took over an unmanned Israeli drone used for surveillance and missile strikes in the same area, east of Khan Younis.
The Al Qassam Information Office released photos of the Israeli drone found on the border.
AFP quoted the Israeli military as saying the fallen drone crashed.
Palestinian government strongly condemned the shooting of the Judge Raed Alaeddin Zuaitter (38 year old) from Nablus, who holds the Jordanian citizenship and works at the Jordanian courts, Palestinian Government Media Center said in a press release. Occupation forces shot him, early Monday, at Al Karama border crossing which is under the Israeli control. Government considered the incident a continuation of the series of violations against the Palestinian people.
Government demanded the formation of an international committee to investigate the incident; it also called upon all international human right organizations to activate their role in the exposure of Israeli violations against Palestinian civilians.
The Government stressed the need for the intervention of the international community to compel Israel to stop the systematic violations committed against unarmed Palestinian citizens, which are a clear violation to international conventions and human right laws, particularly at checkpoints and borders.
In the same context, government pointed out the latest Amnesty International report, which stated that "In all cases examined by Amnesty International, Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers did not appear to be posing a direct and immediate threat to life. In some, there is evidence that they were victims of willful killings, which would amount to war crimes."
Government demanded the formation of an international committee to investigate the incident; it also called upon all international human right organizations to activate their role in the exposure of Israeli violations against Palestinian civilians.
The Government stressed the need for the intervention of the international community to compel Israel to stop the systematic violations committed against unarmed Palestinian citizens, which are a clear violation to international conventions and human right laws, particularly at checkpoints and borders.
In the same context, government pointed out the latest Amnesty International report, which stated that "In all cases examined by Amnesty International, Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers did not appear to be posing a direct and immediate threat to life. In some, there is evidence that they were victims of willful killings, which would amount to war crimes."
Fidaa Muhye Addin Majadlah 23
A Palestinian man died and another sustained injuries early Tuesday when the car they were driving flipped during a road chase by Israeli police, a local official said.
Governor of Tulkarem Abdullah Kamil told Ma'an that Fidaa Muhye Addin Majadlah died and Ibrahim Adnan Shukri sustained moderate to serious injuries as a result of the car wreck. Both men are from the Tulkarem village of Attil.
The Palestinian liaison department contacted their Israeli counterpart, who claimed that the incident was a car accident, with no hot pursuit involved, Kamil said.
He added that Israeli authorities are currently in possession of Majadlah's body, and that Shukri is in Israeli custody.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not familiar with the car chase incident, saying "it was probably a car accident."
A police spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
IOF Shot Dead a Young Palestinian at Military Checkpoint in TulKarem
23-year-old boy Fidaa Muhi-Addin Majadleh from Ateel village in TulKrem northwest of the West Bank, was killed after Israeli forces opened fire at his vehicle near al-Kufryat military checkpoint, south of the city.
Local sources said that Israeli forces directly opened fire at Majadleh, injuring him by seven bullets in the chest and head, adding that Majadleh was driving his vehicle through the checkpoint Tuesday morning.
The sources added that Israeli forces detained the body of the martyr Majadleh and another injured man who was with him in the car. The identity of the man was not revealed yet.
The sources added that Red Crescent wasn't allowed to reach the place and is standing on a close distance from the military checkpoint.
A Palestinian man died and another sustained injuries early Tuesday when the car they were driving flipped during a road chase by Israeli police, a local official said.
Governor of Tulkarem Abdullah Kamil told Ma'an that Fidaa Muhye Addin Majadlah died and Ibrahim Adnan Shukri sustained moderate to serious injuries as a result of the car wreck. Both men are from the Tulkarem village of Attil.
The Palestinian liaison department contacted their Israeli counterpart, who claimed that the incident was a car accident, with no hot pursuit involved, Kamil said.
He added that Israeli authorities are currently in possession of Majadlah's body, and that Shukri is in Israeli custody.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not familiar with the car chase incident, saying "it was probably a car accident."
A police spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
IOF Shot Dead a Young Palestinian at Military Checkpoint in TulKarem
23-year-old boy Fidaa Muhi-Addin Majadleh from Ateel village in TulKrem northwest of the West Bank, was killed after Israeli forces opened fire at his vehicle near al-Kufryat military checkpoint, south of the city.
Local sources said that Israeli forces directly opened fire at Majadleh, injuring him by seven bullets in the chest and head, adding that Majadleh was driving his vehicle through the checkpoint Tuesday morning.
The sources added that Israeli forces detained the body of the martyr Majadleh and another injured man who was with him in the car. The identity of the man was not revealed yet.
The sources added that Red Crescent wasn't allowed to reach the place and is standing on a close distance from the military checkpoint.
A man who was with Raed Zeiter, who was shot dead Monday by Israeli troops at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan, says he suffered three gunshot wounds to the chest.
Mohammad Zayd told Ma'an that about 8 a.m. he, Zeiter and another woman were late to return to the bus after the first Israeli inspection point.
When they were returning, an Israeli soldier pushed Zeiter, they started scuffling and Zeiter was brought to the floor. Zeiter then stood up and shoved the soldier, who in turn fired a shot that barely missed Zeiter, Zayd said.
Mohammad Zayd told Ma'an that about 8 a.m. he, Zeiter and another woman were late to return to the bus after the first Israeli inspection point.
When they were returning, an Israeli soldier pushed Zeiter, they started scuffling and Zeiter was brought to the floor. Zeiter then stood up and shoved the soldier, who in turn fired a shot that barely missed Zeiter, Zayd said.
The soldier then proceeded to fire three shots that hit Zeiter in the chest, leaving him dead on the floor, Zayd added, explaining that he tried to resuscitate Zeiter to no avail.
Zayd added that medics arrived almost an hour later, and covered Zeiter's body, while Israeli police closed the scene and unloaded passengers off the bus and ordered them to the ground in order to search them.
Israeli soldiers then recorded accounts from people on the bus, and asked them about Zeiter, he added.
Earlier, an Israeli army spokeswoman said "a Palestinian attempted to the seize the weapon of an Israeli soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan. Israeli soldiers opened fire and a hit was identified."
Army commander Yaron Beit On, speaking in a conference call with reporters later in the day, said that as the man attempted to snatch an Israeli soldier's gun, another soldier shot him in the leg.
The man then managed to grab a metal bar from one of the Israeli troops, Beit On said. When he tried to use it as a weapon, a soldier shot and killed him.
He said that the incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m., and that the man was carrying two suitcases with him.
Zayd added that medics arrived almost an hour later, and covered Zeiter's body, while Israeli police closed the scene and unloaded passengers off the bus and ordered them to the ground in order to search them.
Israeli soldiers then recorded accounts from people on the bus, and asked them about Zeiter, he added.
Earlier, an Israeli army spokeswoman said "a Palestinian attempted to the seize the weapon of an Israeli soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan. Israeli soldiers opened fire and a hit was identified."
Army commander Yaron Beit On, speaking in a conference call with reporters later in the day, said that as the man attempted to snatch an Israeli soldier's gun, another soldier shot him in the leg.
The man then managed to grab a metal bar from one of the Israeli troops, Beit On said. When he tried to use it as a weapon, a soldier shot and killed him.
He said that the incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m., and that the man was carrying two suitcases with him.
The Jordanian government demanded Monday that Israel open a full investigation in the killing of Raed Zeiter who was killed earlier Monday by Israeli forces at Allenby Bridge.
Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh summoned the head of the Israeli mission in Amman demanding that Israel urgently provide Jordan with a full report detailing the incident, and to open an investigation and inform Jordan of its results, a source in the ministry told Ma’an.
Judeh condemned the killing of the Palestinian, who is a judge that also holds Jordanian nationality, and said it was unacceptable, the sources said.
Former head of the Jordanian lawyers' union Saleh al-Armouti told Ma'an that Jordanians called for a demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy to storm it in protest of Zeiter's killing.
Al-Armouti demanded that Jordan cut its ties with Israel, close the Israeli embassy, and reverse its peace agreement.
Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh summoned the head of the Israeli mission in Amman demanding that Israel urgently provide Jordan with a full report detailing the incident, and to open an investigation and inform Jordan of its results, a source in the ministry told Ma’an.
Judeh condemned the killing of the Palestinian, who is a judge that also holds Jordanian nationality, and said it was unacceptable, the sources said.
Former head of the Jordanian lawyers' union Saleh al-Armouti told Ma'an that Jordanians called for a demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy to storm it in protest of Zeiter's killing.
Al-Armouti demanded that Jordan cut its ties with Israel, close the Israeli embassy, and reverse its peace agreement.
Dozens of Jordanian activists protested in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman against the killing of a Jordanian-Palestinian man at Allenby Bridge the same morning.
They called for closing the embassy, annulling the peace agreement with Israel and expelling the Israeli ambassador.
Protesters burned an Israeli flag during their demonstration.
Jordanian security forces have extended their presence in the vicinity of the embassy.
They called for closing the embassy, annulling the peace agreement with Israel and expelling the Israeli ambassador.
Protesters burned an Israeli flag during their demonstration.
Jordanian security forces have extended their presence in the vicinity of the embassy.
10 mar 2014
Israel has delivered the body of Raed Zeiter to the Palestinian Authority, which will transfer it to Nablus where he will be buried, the PA’s head of borders and crossings said.
Nathmi Mhanna told Ma’an that an investigation is still ongoing to determine the details of the incident, and that a joint committee will investigate the shooting.
Mhanna said that the crossing is now operating after three hours of closure.
Israeli forces early Monday shot Raed Zeiter dead at the border crossing with Jordan. The military claimed he tried to attack security forces stationed in the area.
Nathmi Mhanna told Ma’an that an investigation is still ongoing to determine the details of the incident, and that a joint committee will investigate the shooting.
Mhanna said that the crossing is now operating after three hours of closure.
Israeli forces early Monday shot Raed Zeiter dead at the border crossing with Jordan. The military claimed he tried to attack security forces stationed in the area.
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Sagie Darwish 20
On Monday evening, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian young man near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Israeli forces invaded the village of Bieteen, near Ramallah, searched homes and fired live rounds at residents’ homes. Sagie Darwish, 20, was hit with a live round in his head. Medical sources announced that Darwish died instantly and was moved to Ramallah city hospital. |
Earlier on Monday morning, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan, on Monday, Israel's army and witnesses said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman claimed that the man attempted to the seize the weapon of an Israeli soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan. The victim was identified as Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, from Nablus.
A Jordanian security official told AFP that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman and had left for the West Bank, early on Monday. The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the incident and demanded an international investigation into the circumstances of Zeiter's death.
Palestinian Killed By Army Fire Near Ramallah
Hours after Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian at the al-Karama Crossing, between Jordan and occupied Palestine, the army shot and killed a Palestinian civilian north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Palestinian medical sources said Saje Darwish, 18, was shot and killed, on Monday evening, by the soldiers as he was heading to the family barn, close to the Givat Asaf illegitimate Israeli settlement, built on lands the belong to residents of Beiteen village, north of Ramallah.
His family said the barn is close to a bypass road used by Israeli soldiers and settlers, and that he always heads there to feed the sheep.
The family rejected Israeli military claims alleging he threw stones at settlers’ vehicles, and that such claims are only meant to justify the cold-blooded murder of their son.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers held the body of Darwish for more than an hour before finally handing it back to the Palestinians.
His family said the burial ceremony would be held on Tuesday in his village.
The army claimed that the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition at Palestinians who “threw stones at settlers’ vehicles driving on settlement road #60, close to Givat Asaf settlement”, and that the soldiers killed “one of the stone throwers”.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces, stationed at the Allenby Border Terminal with Jordan, shot and killed a Palestinian Judge who works in Jordan.
The slain Palestinian has been identified as Raed Ala’ Ed-Deen Zieter, 38, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
He also holds Jordanian citizenship; Jordan denounced the killing of the judge and demanded Israel to initiate and investigation into the fatal shooting.
Update from Palestinian Civilian Killed by Israeli Soldiers; Death Toll in the West Bank Stand at Two
IMEMC & Agencies; Mon, 10 Mar 2014 23:49:22
Israeli forces kill Palestinian near Ramallah
Israeli military forces killed a Palestinian man near Ramallah late Monday, in the second deadly shooting in a day in the occupied West Bank, reports said.
Hebrew-language daily Maariv reported that Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians who threw stones at cars on Route 60, near the illegal settlement outpost of Givat Assaf.
An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the incident, saying that "a Palestinian hurled rocks at an Israeli vehicle and bus near Beit El."
"The soldiers at the scene responded by opening fire at the suspect," the spokeswoman said.
"The Palestinian was injured and later died as a result of his wounds. The military police court has opened an investigation regarding this incident."
Earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan, Israel's army and witnesses said.
Army commander Yaron Beit On, speaking in a conference call with reporters later in the day, said that after a man attempted to snatch an Israeli soldier's gun, another soldier shot him in the leg.
The man then managed to grab a metal bar from one of the Israeli troops, Beit On said. When he tried to use it as a weapon, a soldier shot and killed him.
He said that the incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m., and that the man was carrying two suitcases with him.
The victim was identified as Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, from Nablus.
A Jordanian security official told AFP that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman and had left for the West Bank early on Monday.
Jordan's justice ministry confirmed the information, saying he worked at a magistrates court in the capital.
Palestinian security officials said he was originally from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, but had left the territories in 2011 and not returned.
The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the shooting and demanded an international investigation.
"The Palestinian government vigorously condemns the shooting at close range of Judge Raed Zeiter ... while he was coming in from Jordan," it said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman claimed that the man attempted to the seize the weapon of an Israeli soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan. The victim was identified as Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, from Nablus.
A Jordanian security official told AFP that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman and had left for the West Bank, early on Monday. The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the incident and demanded an international investigation into the circumstances of Zeiter's death.
Palestinian Killed By Army Fire Near Ramallah
Hours after Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian at the al-Karama Crossing, between Jordan and occupied Palestine, the army shot and killed a Palestinian civilian north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Palestinian medical sources said Saje Darwish, 18, was shot and killed, on Monday evening, by the soldiers as he was heading to the family barn, close to the Givat Asaf illegitimate Israeli settlement, built on lands the belong to residents of Beiteen village, north of Ramallah.
His family said the barn is close to a bypass road used by Israeli soldiers and settlers, and that he always heads there to feed the sheep.
The family rejected Israeli military claims alleging he threw stones at settlers’ vehicles, and that such claims are only meant to justify the cold-blooded murder of their son.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers held the body of Darwish for more than an hour before finally handing it back to the Palestinians.
His family said the burial ceremony would be held on Tuesday in his village.
The army claimed that the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition at Palestinians who “threw stones at settlers’ vehicles driving on settlement road #60, close to Givat Asaf settlement”, and that the soldiers killed “one of the stone throwers”.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces, stationed at the Allenby Border Terminal with Jordan, shot and killed a Palestinian Judge who works in Jordan.
The slain Palestinian has been identified as Raed Ala’ Ed-Deen Zieter, 38, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
He also holds Jordanian citizenship; Jordan denounced the killing of the judge and demanded Israel to initiate and investigation into the fatal shooting.
Update from Palestinian Civilian Killed by Israeli Soldiers; Death Toll in the West Bank Stand at Two
IMEMC & Agencies; Mon, 10 Mar 2014 23:49:22
Israeli forces kill Palestinian near Ramallah
Israeli military forces killed a Palestinian man near Ramallah late Monday, in the second deadly shooting in a day in the occupied West Bank, reports said.
Hebrew-language daily Maariv reported that Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians who threw stones at cars on Route 60, near the illegal settlement outpost of Givat Assaf.
An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the incident, saying that "a Palestinian hurled rocks at an Israeli vehicle and bus near Beit El."
"The soldiers at the scene responded by opening fire at the suspect," the spokeswoman said.
"The Palestinian was injured and later died as a result of his wounds. The military police court has opened an investigation regarding this incident."
Earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan, Israel's army and witnesses said.
Army commander Yaron Beit On, speaking in a conference call with reporters later in the day, said that after a man attempted to snatch an Israeli soldier's gun, another soldier shot him in the leg.
The man then managed to grab a metal bar from one of the Israeli troops, Beit On said. When he tried to use it as a weapon, a soldier shot and killed him.
He said that the incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m., and that the man was carrying two suitcases with him.
The victim was identified as Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, from Nablus.
A Jordanian security official told AFP that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman and had left for the West Bank early on Monday.
Jordan's justice ministry confirmed the information, saying he worked at a magistrates court in the capital.
Palestinian security officials said he was originally from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, but had left the territories in 2011 and not returned.
The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the shooting and demanded an international investigation.
"The Palestinian government vigorously condemns the shooting at close range of Judge Raed Zeiter ... while he was coming in from Jordan," it said.
Raed Zu'aytir 40
A Jordanian judge was shot and killed on Monday morning by Israeli gunfire at the Karame border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. The martyr was identified as Raed Zu'aytir, 40, who works as a judge at Amman's Magistrate Court.
Israeli media sources have claimed that Israeli troops at the border with Jordan on Monday shot dead a man who allegedly tried to snatch a soldier’s weapon, prompting Israeli forces to close the crossing till further notice.
The Jordanian government strongly condemned the incident and summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires to protest the killing and demanded an immediate investigation.
Jordanian Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Judeh asked the Israeli chargé d'affaires to provide his government with a detailed report concerning the incident circumstances.
"The Jordanian government is expecting a comprehensive report on the incident from the Israeli government. Jordan wants an immediate investigation without any delay," Judeh said.
According to security sources, Jordanian authorities were informed that the Jordanian citizen Raed Zu'aytir was on his way to the West Bank when Israeli soldiers stopped the bus at the border crossing, which led to a scuffle between him and border guards who opened fire at the judge.
In response, Jordanian citizens have called for mass participation in a vigil outside the Israeli embassy in Amman on Monday evening.
The vigil is in protest at the killing of the Jordanian judge by Israeli forces and at their government's silence over the crime.
Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian at Allenby Bridge crossing
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan on Monday, Israel's army and witnesses said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said "a Palestinian attempted to the seize the weapon of an Israeli soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan. Israeli soldiers opened fire and a hit was identified."
Palestinian sources identified the man as Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, from Nablus. He had reportedly left the occupied West Bank in 2011 and had not returned since.
The incident occurred at the first Israeli checkpoint while crossing from Jordan into the occupied West Bank.
Talks are ongoing about returning the body to the West Bank for burial.
Ofer Lefler, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority which is responsible for all border crossings, said the frontier had been closed in the wake of the attack.
Palestinian Killed By Army Fire At The Al-Karama Crossing
Palestinian medical sources have reported that Israeli soldiers, stationed at the al-Karama crossing, between the West Bank and Jordan, shot and killed a Palestinian man.
The sources said that Raed Aladdin Z’eitar, 38 years of age, is from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Palestinian security sources said the Palestinian Authority contacted the Israeli side to transfer the body of the slain Palestinian to his family for burial ceremonies.
The Israeli army claimed Z’eitar “attempted to snatch a weapon from an Israeli security guard” before the soldiers shot him dead.
The army closed the crossing terminal after the attack until further notice, the sources added. The Israeli Police said no Israelis were harmed in the incident.
The slain Palestinian was returning home from Jordan; he was shot and killed at the first Israeli crossing point after crossing from the Jordanian side.
A Jordanian judge was shot and killed on Monday morning by Israeli gunfire at the Karame border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. The martyr was identified as Raed Zu'aytir, 40, who works as a judge at Amman's Magistrate Court.
Israeli media sources have claimed that Israeli troops at the border with Jordan on Monday shot dead a man who allegedly tried to snatch a soldier’s weapon, prompting Israeli forces to close the crossing till further notice.
The Jordanian government strongly condemned the incident and summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires to protest the killing and demanded an immediate investigation.
Jordanian Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Judeh asked the Israeli chargé d'affaires to provide his government with a detailed report concerning the incident circumstances.
"The Jordanian government is expecting a comprehensive report on the incident from the Israeli government. Jordan wants an immediate investigation without any delay," Judeh said.
According to security sources, Jordanian authorities were informed that the Jordanian citizen Raed Zu'aytir was on his way to the West Bank when Israeli soldiers stopped the bus at the border crossing, which led to a scuffle between him and border guards who opened fire at the judge.
In response, Jordanian citizens have called for mass participation in a vigil outside the Israeli embassy in Amman on Monday evening.
The vigil is in protest at the killing of the Jordanian judge by Israeli forces and at their government's silence over the crime.
Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian at Allenby Bridge crossing
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan on Monday, Israel's army and witnesses said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said "a Palestinian attempted to the seize the weapon of an Israeli soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan. Israeli soldiers opened fire and a hit was identified."
Palestinian sources identified the man as Raed Alaa Addin Zieter, 38, from Nablus. He had reportedly left the occupied West Bank in 2011 and had not returned since.
The incident occurred at the first Israeli checkpoint while crossing from Jordan into the occupied West Bank.
Talks are ongoing about returning the body to the West Bank for burial.
Ofer Lefler, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority which is responsible for all border crossings, said the frontier had been closed in the wake of the attack.
Palestinian Killed By Army Fire At The Al-Karama Crossing
Palestinian medical sources have reported that Israeli soldiers, stationed at the al-Karama crossing, between the West Bank and Jordan, shot and killed a Palestinian man.
The sources said that Raed Aladdin Z’eitar, 38 years of age, is from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Palestinian security sources said the Palestinian Authority contacted the Israeli side to transfer the body of the slain Palestinian to his family for burial ceremonies.
The Israeli army claimed Z’eitar “attempted to snatch a weapon from an Israeli security guard” before the soldiers shot him dead.
The army closed the crossing terminal after the attack until further notice, the sources added. The Israeli Police said no Israelis were harmed in the incident.
The slain Palestinian was returning home from Jordan; he was shot and killed at the first Israeli crossing point after crossing from the Jordanian side.
5 mar 2014
By Nicola Nasser
In the Palestinian West Bank town of Birzeit early last February 27, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) acted determinedly, under the media spotlights, to feed Amnesty International with a show case study to vindicate the report it released only hours earlier, entitled "Trigger-happy: Israel's use of excessive force in the West Bank," and to refute the Israeli official diplomatic denial of the contents thereof.
Under the command of Col. Yossi Pinto, a Nahal infantry force of the Binyamin Territorial Brigade, joined by the Border Police's elite Counterterrorism Unit, Yamam, according to Israeli The Jerusalem Post on the same day and "200 Israeli soldiers, dozens of jeeps, two (military) bulldozers and many Shin Bet [internal security] officers" according to Amira Hass of Haaretz on this March 3, including some 28 – more than thirty army patrol armored vehicles according to the count of Arab natives of Birzeit who spoke to this writer, were amassed in this Birzeit University town, raising a hell of explosives and gunfire and disrupting its peaceful countryside early spring morning.
Amira Hass was on the scene. Wondering what was all that military mobilization for, a former mayor of Birzeit told this writer that he heard her asking in repudiation, "Was it (the late al-Qaeda founder Osama) Bin Laden inside?!"
Their mission, according to Israeli military spokespeople, was to arrest a "wanted individual" who, according to the Shin Bet internal security agency, quoted by Hass, had "intended" to carry out an "aggressive operation" against Israeli targets. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the man was "suspected" of "terror activity." www.israelnationalnews.com on the same day quoted "the IDF Spokesman's Unit" as saying that he was "a wanted man suspected of terror activity." Gideon Levy in Haaretz on this March 2 quoted "the military correspondents" as repeating what the "IDF claimed" that the man "had the intention to carry out a terror attack in the near future."
Hass wrote: "In the unofficial Israeli law code, unproved "terrorist intentions" are enough to be punishable by death. In Hebrew, "terror attack" is a magic phrase that exempts the Israelis from wondering why an arrest needs so many troops and fanfare, and has such a murderous end."
Gideon Levy sarcastically repeating the self-described as "the most moral army in the world" wrote that the Israeli army "is also an army that reads intentions," but Levy did not add that this army has had it as a rule to act accordingly as well.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said: "After the suspect was called to turn himself in, he barricaded himself inside his house, effectively resisting arrest. Under the premise that he had weapons in his possession, the forces used different means to complete the arrest, including live fire."
The "suspect" was 24-year old Muatazz Abdul-Rahim Washaha, an unemployed Palestinian native of Birzeit.
Hass questioned the accuracy of this statement. Claiming that the victim had "barricaded himself" in would make people "think he built a fortress and surrounded himself with explosives. This is very inaccurate," she wrote.
The IOF Spokesman's Office said that the "troops forcibly entered the building and found his body." Hass said that "this is a lie." "The elite police unit had shot Washaha at point-blank range dozens of times, according to the pieces of brain that covered the room, not to mention his legs, arms and fingers that were nearly severed from his body," she added. Washaha's head was split open after being struck by a projectile, a doctor at the Palestinian Ramallah Hospital told AP on the same day.
It was left to Levy and others to specify the details of "live fire."
Levy reported that "the most moral army in the world fired an (M72 LAW) anti-tank missile at the house in which a wanted young Palestinian was hiding ... ran a bulldozer over the top of the house and destroyed it," using "a drill it calls a 'pressure cooker' – a rather disgusting drill it invented for itself."
When the tactic of "pressure cooker," which involves shooting at the walls of the house that is surrounded, failed to persuade the suspect to come out and turn himself in, the IOF troops at around 7 AM bulldozed part of the outer wall of the house and fired projectiles into the building. Fire erupted in the house. At 11 AM, they issued an ultimatum, "giving Muatazz two minutes to surrender, without result. As the ultimatum expired, the army fired several artillery shells from close distance. They then stormed the burning house, killing Muatazz," Jan Walraven reported in the Palestine Monitor on this March 3.
The four – apartment building was bulldozed and shelled out of use and its contents burned and vandalized. Four families suddenly found themselves on the street, waiting for charities.
Washaha did not "resist" his arrest; he simply refused to give himself in. Released from an IFO jail only a few months ago, he knew very well what being imprisoned by the IOF meant. "I will be free here. Leave and do not worry about me. I will stay here and not surrender. I will not return to prison," he told a Palestinian civil defense worker who rushed in to extinguish the fire caused by the Israeli projectile. Those were his last words, quoted by The Electronic Intifada on last February 28.
"They could have taken him as a prisoner, but they did not want him as a prisoner they wanted to kill him," his father Mr. Abdul – Rahim said. Similarly, his mother, Mrs. Eitzaaz Washaha, told Anadolu Agency: "Israeli forces could have arrested Washaha, but they were determined to kill him. My son wasn't armed. He was killed after the house was bombed."
An Israeli Shin Bet officer, who goes under the name of Alon, gave permission to kill Muatazz because he refused to appear for an interview with him, according to Hass. "This was regarded as a personal affront by Alon," she wrote. The victim's brother, Tha'er Washaha, told Haaretz he implored Alon for permission to go inside and convince his brother to come out; Alon refused.
However, despite the officially acknowledged "suspicion," an official army tweet, quoted by Los Angeles Times on the same day, convicted him as a "terrorist who resisted arrest."
Pro – Israeli media and Israeli media, the latter being subjected to well – known strict military censorship, echoed this unconfirmed conclusion; for example, www.algemeiner.com on the same day headlined its report to conclude that a "Wanted Terrorist (was) Shot Dead by Israel Defense Forces."
Disinformation was demonstrated by Israel Hayom, reportedly close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office; on the same day Hayom reported that "a firefight broke out" between the holed in victim and the besieging army brigade, but the witnesses on the site confirmed the Reuters' report that "no shots were heard from inside the home before the Israeli forces opened fire," a fact that is confirmed by the other fact that the raiding Israeli forces did not suffer the slightest casualty, which also refutes the IOF' claim that the man had an AK-47 rifle, another "story" that "Israel accepted ... with a yawn," according to Levy of Haaretz.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) in a statement condemned Washaha's killing as an "assassination," a "crime" and a "deliberate" killing. PA's spokesman, Ihab Bsaiso, said it was an "example of the violence perpetrated on a daily basis against our population." In a letter sent to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN Security Council and the President of the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Ambassador Feda Abdelhady – Nasser said Washaha's killing indicates Israel's "pre-meditated intention of killing him."
Israeli journalist Hass agrees further that his killing was a "cold-blooded assassination"; "The Israeli army did this deliberately," she wrote. "Israel's goal" was "to embarrass the Palestinian Authority and undermine its status" among its own people and Israel was "successful" as the "Palestinian Authority officials were absent from Washaha's funeral" the next day to avoid the angry crowds, estimated at more than five thousand, who were demanding an end to peace negotiations and to PA's security coordination with Israel.
Gideon Levy had another interpretation for the motives of "The most moral army in the world," which was the title of his opinion column in Haaretz; "The Israel Defense Forces has also created a heartwarming name for all this: the "Tool of Disruption" – storming a civilian community for the purpose of causing panic and fear, and to disrupt its life," or "Sometimes these operations are conducted ... as a training routine in order to preserve the readiness of the forces and a demonstration of sovereign power" toward the Palestinians living under the Israeli military occupation since 1967, he wrote.
Amnesty's Report Vindicated
Washaha's extrajudicial execution came on the same day the Amnesty International (AI) released its 87-page report recommending that the U.S., EU and the rest of the international community should suspend all transfers of military aid to Israel because "without pressure from the international community the situation is unlikely to change any time soon," Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Director Philip Luther said. "Too much civilian blood has been spilled ... (and Israel's) unlawful killings and unnecessary use of force must stop now," he added.
The AI reported it had documented the killings of 22 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank in 2013 and in all the cases the Palestinians did not appear to have been posing a direct and immediate threat to life: "The circumstances of all their deaths point to them having been victims of unlawful killings, including — in some cases — possible willful killings."
"Several victims were shot in the back suggesting that they were targeted as they tried to flee and posed no genuine threat to the lives of members of Israeli forces or others," the report said. "In several cases, well-armored Israeli forces have resorted to lethal means to crack down on stone-throwing protesters causing needless loss of life" and "there is evidence that some individuals were victims of willful killings, which would amount to war crimes," it added.
Since the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry succeeded in resuming the Palestinian – Israeli peace talks on last July 29, the IOF killed more than 42 Palestinian civilians; Washaha was among the latest.
Using "excessive force," "arbitrary and abusive force against peaceful protesters" and displaying "callous disregard" for human life, Israeli soldiers and police officers have been operating with "near total impunity," in a "harrowing pattern of unlawful killings and unwarranted injuries," "as a matter of policy," while the Israeli investigative system is "woefully inadequate," said Luther.
The AI report accused Israel of "war crimes and other serious violations of international law."
Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Daniel Taub, said that Amnesty was "obsessive" with a "focus on Israel" and accused the London – based rights organization of having "an agenda that has more to do with politics than human rights." His embassy in London told The Jewish Chronicle that the AI's report was merely a "stunt" filled with "unverifiable and often contradictory accounts."
In Birzeit on that sad morning of last February 27, the elite military disproportionate force which the IOF used to liquidate Washaha acted as if it was intentionally determined to undermine the credibility of Israel's official diplomacy, represented this time by ambassador Taub, and to vindicate the contents of Amnesty's report which he tried to deny or at least to question.
Ironically, Israeli PM Netanyahu, less than a week later, was in Washington D.C. lecturing a receptive American audience at the annual conference of AIPAC about drawing a "clear line ... between life and death, between right and wrong" and about the "moral divide!"
* Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Bir Zeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
In the Palestinian West Bank town of Birzeit early last February 27, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) acted determinedly, under the media spotlights, to feed Amnesty International with a show case study to vindicate the report it released only hours earlier, entitled "Trigger-happy: Israel's use of excessive force in the West Bank," and to refute the Israeli official diplomatic denial of the contents thereof.
Under the command of Col. Yossi Pinto, a Nahal infantry force of the Binyamin Territorial Brigade, joined by the Border Police's elite Counterterrorism Unit, Yamam, according to Israeli The Jerusalem Post on the same day and "200 Israeli soldiers, dozens of jeeps, two (military) bulldozers and many Shin Bet [internal security] officers" according to Amira Hass of Haaretz on this March 3, including some 28 – more than thirty army patrol armored vehicles according to the count of Arab natives of Birzeit who spoke to this writer, were amassed in this Birzeit University town, raising a hell of explosives and gunfire and disrupting its peaceful countryside early spring morning.
Amira Hass was on the scene. Wondering what was all that military mobilization for, a former mayor of Birzeit told this writer that he heard her asking in repudiation, "Was it (the late al-Qaeda founder Osama) Bin Laden inside?!"
Their mission, according to Israeli military spokespeople, was to arrest a "wanted individual" who, according to the Shin Bet internal security agency, quoted by Hass, had "intended" to carry out an "aggressive operation" against Israeli targets. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the man was "suspected" of "terror activity." www.israelnationalnews.com on the same day quoted "the IDF Spokesman's Unit" as saying that he was "a wanted man suspected of terror activity." Gideon Levy in Haaretz on this March 2 quoted "the military correspondents" as repeating what the "IDF claimed" that the man "had the intention to carry out a terror attack in the near future."
Hass wrote: "In the unofficial Israeli law code, unproved "terrorist intentions" are enough to be punishable by death. In Hebrew, "terror attack" is a magic phrase that exempts the Israelis from wondering why an arrest needs so many troops and fanfare, and has such a murderous end."
Gideon Levy sarcastically repeating the self-described as "the most moral army in the world" wrote that the Israeli army "is also an army that reads intentions," but Levy did not add that this army has had it as a rule to act accordingly as well.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said: "After the suspect was called to turn himself in, he barricaded himself inside his house, effectively resisting arrest. Under the premise that he had weapons in his possession, the forces used different means to complete the arrest, including live fire."
The "suspect" was 24-year old Muatazz Abdul-Rahim Washaha, an unemployed Palestinian native of Birzeit.
Hass questioned the accuracy of this statement. Claiming that the victim had "barricaded himself" in would make people "think he built a fortress and surrounded himself with explosives. This is very inaccurate," she wrote.
The IOF Spokesman's Office said that the "troops forcibly entered the building and found his body." Hass said that "this is a lie." "The elite police unit had shot Washaha at point-blank range dozens of times, according to the pieces of brain that covered the room, not to mention his legs, arms and fingers that were nearly severed from his body," she added. Washaha's head was split open after being struck by a projectile, a doctor at the Palestinian Ramallah Hospital told AP on the same day.
It was left to Levy and others to specify the details of "live fire."
Levy reported that "the most moral army in the world fired an (M72 LAW) anti-tank missile at the house in which a wanted young Palestinian was hiding ... ran a bulldozer over the top of the house and destroyed it," using "a drill it calls a 'pressure cooker' – a rather disgusting drill it invented for itself."
When the tactic of "pressure cooker," which involves shooting at the walls of the house that is surrounded, failed to persuade the suspect to come out and turn himself in, the IOF troops at around 7 AM bulldozed part of the outer wall of the house and fired projectiles into the building. Fire erupted in the house. At 11 AM, they issued an ultimatum, "giving Muatazz two minutes to surrender, without result. As the ultimatum expired, the army fired several artillery shells from close distance. They then stormed the burning house, killing Muatazz," Jan Walraven reported in the Palestine Monitor on this March 3.
The four – apartment building was bulldozed and shelled out of use and its contents burned and vandalized. Four families suddenly found themselves on the street, waiting for charities.
Washaha did not "resist" his arrest; he simply refused to give himself in. Released from an IFO jail only a few months ago, he knew very well what being imprisoned by the IOF meant. "I will be free here. Leave and do not worry about me. I will stay here and not surrender. I will not return to prison," he told a Palestinian civil defense worker who rushed in to extinguish the fire caused by the Israeli projectile. Those were his last words, quoted by The Electronic Intifada on last February 28.
"They could have taken him as a prisoner, but they did not want him as a prisoner they wanted to kill him," his father Mr. Abdul – Rahim said. Similarly, his mother, Mrs. Eitzaaz Washaha, told Anadolu Agency: "Israeli forces could have arrested Washaha, but they were determined to kill him. My son wasn't armed. He was killed after the house was bombed."
An Israeli Shin Bet officer, who goes under the name of Alon, gave permission to kill Muatazz because he refused to appear for an interview with him, according to Hass. "This was regarded as a personal affront by Alon," she wrote. The victim's brother, Tha'er Washaha, told Haaretz he implored Alon for permission to go inside and convince his brother to come out; Alon refused.
However, despite the officially acknowledged "suspicion," an official army tweet, quoted by Los Angeles Times on the same day, convicted him as a "terrorist who resisted arrest."
Pro – Israeli media and Israeli media, the latter being subjected to well – known strict military censorship, echoed this unconfirmed conclusion; for example, www.algemeiner.com on the same day headlined its report to conclude that a "Wanted Terrorist (was) Shot Dead by Israel Defense Forces."
Disinformation was demonstrated by Israel Hayom, reportedly close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office; on the same day Hayom reported that "a firefight broke out" between the holed in victim and the besieging army brigade, but the witnesses on the site confirmed the Reuters' report that "no shots were heard from inside the home before the Israeli forces opened fire," a fact that is confirmed by the other fact that the raiding Israeli forces did not suffer the slightest casualty, which also refutes the IOF' claim that the man had an AK-47 rifle, another "story" that "Israel accepted ... with a yawn," according to Levy of Haaretz.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) in a statement condemned Washaha's killing as an "assassination," a "crime" and a "deliberate" killing. PA's spokesman, Ihab Bsaiso, said it was an "example of the violence perpetrated on a daily basis against our population." In a letter sent to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN Security Council and the President of the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Ambassador Feda Abdelhady – Nasser said Washaha's killing indicates Israel's "pre-meditated intention of killing him."
Israeli journalist Hass agrees further that his killing was a "cold-blooded assassination"; "The Israeli army did this deliberately," she wrote. "Israel's goal" was "to embarrass the Palestinian Authority and undermine its status" among its own people and Israel was "successful" as the "Palestinian Authority officials were absent from Washaha's funeral" the next day to avoid the angry crowds, estimated at more than five thousand, who were demanding an end to peace negotiations and to PA's security coordination with Israel.
Gideon Levy had another interpretation for the motives of "The most moral army in the world," which was the title of his opinion column in Haaretz; "The Israel Defense Forces has also created a heartwarming name for all this: the "Tool of Disruption" – storming a civilian community for the purpose of causing panic and fear, and to disrupt its life," or "Sometimes these operations are conducted ... as a training routine in order to preserve the readiness of the forces and a demonstration of sovereign power" toward the Palestinians living under the Israeli military occupation since 1967, he wrote.
Amnesty's Report Vindicated
Washaha's extrajudicial execution came on the same day the Amnesty International (AI) released its 87-page report recommending that the U.S., EU and the rest of the international community should suspend all transfers of military aid to Israel because "without pressure from the international community the situation is unlikely to change any time soon," Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Director Philip Luther said. "Too much civilian blood has been spilled ... (and Israel's) unlawful killings and unnecessary use of force must stop now," he added.
The AI reported it had documented the killings of 22 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank in 2013 and in all the cases the Palestinians did not appear to have been posing a direct and immediate threat to life: "The circumstances of all their deaths point to them having been victims of unlawful killings, including — in some cases — possible willful killings."
"Several victims were shot in the back suggesting that they were targeted as they tried to flee and posed no genuine threat to the lives of members of Israeli forces or others," the report said. "In several cases, well-armored Israeli forces have resorted to lethal means to crack down on stone-throwing protesters causing needless loss of life" and "there is evidence that some individuals were victims of willful killings, which would amount to war crimes," it added.
Since the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry succeeded in resuming the Palestinian – Israeli peace talks on last July 29, the IOF killed more than 42 Palestinian civilians; Washaha was among the latest.
Using "excessive force," "arbitrary and abusive force against peaceful protesters" and displaying "callous disregard" for human life, Israeli soldiers and police officers have been operating with "near total impunity," in a "harrowing pattern of unlawful killings and unwarranted injuries," "as a matter of policy," while the Israeli investigative system is "woefully inadequate," said Luther.
The AI report accused Israel of "war crimes and other serious violations of international law."
Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Daniel Taub, said that Amnesty was "obsessive" with a "focus on Israel" and accused the London – based rights organization of having "an agenda that has more to do with politics than human rights." His embassy in London told The Jewish Chronicle that the AI's report was merely a "stunt" filled with "unverifiable and often contradictory accounts."
In Birzeit on that sad morning of last February 27, the elite military disproportionate force which the IOF used to liquidate Washaha acted as if it was intentionally determined to undermine the credibility of Israel's official diplomacy, represented this time by ambassador Taub, and to vindicate the contents of Amnesty's report which he tried to deny or at least to question.
Ironically, Israeli PM Netanyahu, less than a week later, was in Washington D.C. lecturing a receptive American audience at the annual conference of AIPAC about drawing a "clear line ... between life and death, between right and wrong" and about the "moral divide!"
* Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Bir Zeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
4 mar 2014
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People carry the body of Samir Awad during his funeral in the West Bank village of Budrus near Ramallah Jan. 15, 2013
Amnesty International on Monday released a video 
documenting the 2013 killing of a Palestinian teenager by Israeli forces in the Ramallah village of Budrus.
Samir Awad, 16, was shot three times in the back of the head, leg and shoulder as he fled Israeli soldiers in January 2013. |
Amnesty said Samir's killing may amount to an extrajudicial execution, or willful killing, which is considered a war crime under international law.
The video was released to accompany a report published last week which documented the routine use "unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force" by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
The video was released to accompany a report published last week which documented the routine use "unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force" by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
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Sharif Nasser 31
An Israeli air strike on the northern Gaza Strip killed two Palestinians and wounded two others on Monday, the emergency services in the Hamas-run enclave said. Emergency services chief Ashraf al-Qidra told AFP that Musab Moussa al-Zaaneen, a man in his early 20s, was killed in the raid on farmland near the town of Beit Hanoun. |
He later added that Sharif Nasser, 31, had died of injuries sustained in the attack.
The Israeli military spokesman's office said the target was a Palestinian "rocket-launching squad".
"Israel Air Force aircraft targeted terrorists preparing to launch rockets in the northern Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.
"The mission was carried out in order to eliminate an imminent attack targeting civilian communities of southern Israel."
Israeli media had earlier reported a failed rocket attack, with the projectile apparently falling short and landing within the Gaza Strip.
On Friday an Israeli air strike destroyed a rocket launch site in Gaza which also represented "an imminent threat," the army said at the time.
No casualties were reported in the attack.
Monday's strike occurred as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Barack Obama to discuss the future of the peace process with the Palestinians.
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians and injured 41 in attacks on Gaza in January, al-Qidra said in early February.
Updated: Two Palestinians killed in Israeli drone raid
A Palestinian has died of injuries he sustained in an Israeli drone raid on a grouping on Monday evening in Beit Hanon, northern Gaza Strip, adding to one killed on the spot. Ashraf al-Qerda, a spokesman of the Health ministry, said in a previous statement, that Mosab al-Za’neen, 21, got killed and three others injured in the raid.
Qedra said in a fresh statement that Sharif Nassir, who was seriously injured, died.
Witnesses eyed a drone launching a missile towards a number of people in the town, according to ALRAY correspondent.
More details are to be provided once more information is available.
Israel frequently used drones to assassinate political individuals in Gaza for being an inexpensive, uninhabited, and a much guided aerial weapon.
The Israeli military spokesman's office said the target was a Palestinian "rocket-launching squad".
"Israel Air Force aircraft targeted terrorists preparing to launch rockets in the northern Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.
"The mission was carried out in order to eliminate an imminent attack targeting civilian communities of southern Israel."
Israeli media had earlier reported a failed rocket attack, with the projectile apparently falling short and landing within the Gaza Strip.
On Friday an Israeli air strike destroyed a rocket launch site in Gaza which also represented "an imminent threat," the army said at the time.
No casualties were reported in the attack.
Monday's strike occurred as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Barack Obama to discuss the future of the peace process with the Palestinians.
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians and injured 41 in attacks on Gaza in January, al-Qidra said in early February.
Updated: Two Palestinians killed in Israeli drone raid
A Palestinian has died of injuries he sustained in an Israeli drone raid on a grouping on Monday evening in Beit Hanon, northern Gaza Strip, adding to one killed on the spot. Ashraf al-Qerda, a spokesman of the Health ministry, said in a previous statement, that Mosab al-Za’neen, 21, got killed and three others injured in the raid.
Qedra said in a fresh statement that Sharif Nassir, who was seriously injured, died.
Witnesses eyed a drone launching a missile towards a number of people in the town, according to ALRAY correspondent.
More details are to be provided once more information is available.
Israel frequently used drones to assassinate political individuals in Gaza for being an inexpensive, uninhabited, and a much guided aerial weapon.
