Killing of Palestinian man by Israel an ‘extrajudicial execution’

[Resurgence]

The killing of a Palestinian man by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem last year was an “extrajudicial execution”, according to a London-based group specializing in the investigation of violations of human rights.

Ahmed Erekat was shot at the Container checkpoint in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank in June 2020 and left to bleed to death for more than an hour after Israeli soldiers stopped a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance from treating him.

In a report published on Tuesday, Forensic Architecture said that the 27-year-old posed no threat to the Israeli soldiers, or to any property, and noted that he was not given any first aid treatment following the shooting, even when he showed signs of life.

“Our analysis raises major questions about Ahmed’s killing that raise doubts in the Israeli army’s claims and call for further investigation.”

Erekat, who was the nephew of then-Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat, was on his way to pick his mother and sisters up, who were at a beauty salon getting ready for his sister’s wedding that evening, when he was killed. His own wedding was due to take place two weeks later.

Israeli security forces said Ahmed had attempted to ram his vehicle into a soldier at the checkpoint before they opened fire.

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said the man “drove his vehicle quickly towards the direction of a female border police officer who was injured lightly”.

Palestinian officials rejected the police account.

Saeb Erekat told the AFP news agency that his nephew had been “executed” by the Israeli police, adding that he held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for “this crime”. The elder Erekat died from COVID-19 in November last year.



Considerable discrepancy


The new Forensic Architecture report uncovered significant discrepancies in Israel’s version of the events surrounding Ahmed Erekat’s killing.

It found Erekat did not accelerate his vehicle to hit the officers at the checkpoint, saying the evidence showed signs the vehicle was braking before impact.

“The car’s speed did not exceed 15 km/hr [9.3 miles per hour] – its acceleration was constant and low throughout, implying that there was no sudden attempt to speed up.”

The new report also said that Erekat did not approach the police officers at the checkpoint, as alleged.

A video from the scene of the incident also reveals “other details that cast doubt on the army’s narrative”, the report added.

After the report was released, Erekat’s family appealed to the international community to help secure the release of his body, which remains with Israel.

Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director of Human Rights Watch, said withholding Erekat’s body amounted to unlawful collective punishment.



https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/24...an_killing