21 jan 2017
According to a report issued by Haaretz Israeli newspaper on Saturday, officials from Israeli government, army, police and Shin Bet earlier this week presented Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of the cabinet with scenarios that could result from relocating the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem.
Haaretz quoted two senior Israeli officials as saying that "Netanyahu made it clear that Israel has no solid information on if and when Trump will issue a notice to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem". The prime minister, however, instructed the security officials to prepare for such a possibility from the moment that the new US president Donald Trump is sworn in.
According to Haaretz, the two officials said that the purpose of the meeting was to prepare for possible repercussions from the relocation of the embassy, particularly in light of a media campaign being waged against it by the Palestinian Authority including possible incitement to violence by Palestinian officials in recent weeks regarding the matter.
Nonetheless, officials from the Shin Bet, Military Intelligence and the police’s intelligence division told the meeting that there has been no specific information on any plans to carry out attacks or disturbances should the embassy be transferred.
One of the scenarios presented to the ministers, Haaretz said, was that the move could even evoke a relatively muted response, with the Palestinians solely confining their reactions to the media and political sphere.
Haaretz quoted two senior Israeli officials as saying that "Netanyahu made it clear that Israel has no solid information on if and when Trump will issue a notice to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem". The prime minister, however, instructed the security officials to prepare for such a possibility from the moment that the new US president Donald Trump is sworn in.
According to Haaretz, the two officials said that the purpose of the meeting was to prepare for possible repercussions from the relocation of the embassy, particularly in light of a media campaign being waged against it by the Palestinian Authority including possible incitement to violence by Palestinian officials in recent weeks regarding the matter.
Nonetheless, officials from the Shin Bet, Military Intelligence and the police’s intelligence division told the meeting that there has been no specific information on any plans to carry out attacks or disturbances should the embassy be transferred.
One of the scenarios presented to the ministers, Haaretz said, was that the move could even evoke a relatively muted response, with the Palestinians solely confining their reactions to the media and political sphere.
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A new video has emerged capturing the killing of Umm al-Hiran resident and local teacher Yaqoub Abu al-Qian who was shot to death by Israeli police on Wednesday, while his family continues to await the return of his body.
Ma’an obtained a video on Saturday that was filmed by a resident of Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran of the moment that al-Qian was shot, as dozens of gunshots are heard and Israeli police yelling “gunshots” and heading to the source. Israeli police claimed that the math teacher was carrying out a vehicular attack which killed police officer Erez Levi, 34, though a number of witnesses and Palestinian officials with Israeli citizenship have disputed Israeli security forces’ version of events, saying that police officers opened fire on Abu al-Qian despite him not representing a threat, causing him to lose control of his vehicle and fatally hit Levi. |
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Meanwhile, Israeli police footage published by Israeli daily Haaretz on Wednesday, which they said was most likely from a police a helicopter hovering above the scene, appeared to show police officers shooting at al-Qian as he was driving at a very slow pace, and only several seconds after the gunfire does his car appear to speed up, eventfully plowing through police officers.
Abu al-Qian’s autopsy report was also released on Friday, detailing that the teacher had been killed by two bullets that were fired at his vehicle, the first of which struck him on his right knee, and the second in a main artery in the chest area, before he was left to bleed to death. Israeli Channel 10 reported that Abu al-Qian’s knee injury led to the acceleration of his vehicle after his leg pressed against the gas pedal, and |
added that he had lost large amounts of blood which would have made it impossible to save him.
Nevertheless, they reported that he had been left to bleed for a half and hour as ambulances were prevented from providing him first aid.
Witnesses told Ma’an that Israeli police pulled an injured Abu al-Qian from his vehicle at the time and shot him another time to confirm his death. However, this testimony contradicts the autopsy report that stated he had bled to death.
Meanwhile, the family of Abu al-Qian have continued to refuse conditions set by Israeli police in order to receive the slain body of Abu al-Qian.
The Israeli police have refused to release his body unless the family agrees to limiting the attendants to the funeral to 50, holding it at night, and launching it from his mother’s home in Hura village, and not the ruins of his home in Umm al-Hiran, which was demolished following an Israeli demolition campaign in the village in the wake of violent clashes erupting on Wednesday.
The family has refused the pre-conditions for the funeral, with relative Najeh Abu al-Qian telling Ma’an on Friday that the Israeli police has attempted to exert pressure on the family to accept the conditions, but the family has continued to refuse.
On Thursday, the family demanded an investigation into his death, as witness testimony and video published by Haaretz, has contradicted claims made by Israeli police.
NGO Adalah -- The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, who is representing Abu al-Qian’s family, released a statement Thursday demanding an investigation be opened into the circumstances of the death of Abu al-Qian.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote in a statement at the time that “a vehicle driven by a terrorist from the Islamic Movement intended to strike a number officers and carry out an attack,” and that police officers responded by shooting and killing the driver.
According to the Adalah, the police video footage of the incident and eyewitness testimony reveal that police opened fire on Abu al-Qian's vehicle before he accelerated in the direction of officers. “This totally contradicts police claims that Abu Al Qi'an sought to ‘ram’ them with his vehicle,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, MKs Ahmad Tibi and Usama Saadi of the Joint List introduced a new bill on Thursday to the Knesset proposing a ten-year freeze on demolitions of homes built by Palestinians in Israel without government-issued permits in order to develop a comprehensive zoning and development plan.
“It’s not an accident that there are tens of thousands of homes with demolition orders against them” in Palestinian communities in Israel, Tibi told Israel Radio. “It’s not in their genes. There are no development plans, no zoning plans, no expansion.”
Rights groups have long claimed that demolitions in Bedouin villages unrecognized by Israel were a central policy aimed at removing the indigenous Palestinian population from the Negev and transferring them to government-zoned townships to make room for the expansion of Jewish-Israeli communities.
Groups such as the Negev Coexistence and Civil Equality Forum and the Coalition of Women for Peace placed responsibility for the deadly violence squarely on the Israeli government.
"The direct responsibility for today’s dangerous escalation and bloodshed at the village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev rests upon those who took the decision to destroy a Bedouin village which had existed for decades, completely raze and wipe it off the face of the earth, to expel the residents and establish a Jewish ‘community’ in its place,” Gush Shalom quoted the groups as saying at the time.
Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of the Middle East division of NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), said that the events at Umm al-Hiran followed “a pattern of excessive force used by the Israeli police.”
“As in the West Bank, Israel discriminates against Bedouins and Palestinians more generally inside its borders in its planning policies, which seek to maximize control of land for for Jewish communities. Israel should investigate the killings, hold those responsible to account, and abandon the discriminatory plan to raze Umm al-Hiran."
Nevertheless, they reported that he had been left to bleed for a half and hour as ambulances were prevented from providing him first aid.
Witnesses told Ma’an that Israeli police pulled an injured Abu al-Qian from his vehicle at the time and shot him another time to confirm his death. However, this testimony contradicts the autopsy report that stated he had bled to death.
Meanwhile, the family of Abu al-Qian have continued to refuse conditions set by Israeli police in order to receive the slain body of Abu al-Qian.
The Israeli police have refused to release his body unless the family agrees to limiting the attendants to the funeral to 50, holding it at night, and launching it from his mother’s home in Hura village, and not the ruins of his home in Umm al-Hiran, which was demolished following an Israeli demolition campaign in the village in the wake of violent clashes erupting on Wednesday.
The family has refused the pre-conditions for the funeral, with relative Najeh Abu al-Qian telling Ma’an on Friday that the Israeli police has attempted to exert pressure on the family to accept the conditions, but the family has continued to refuse.
On Thursday, the family demanded an investigation into his death, as witness testimony and video published by Haaretz, has contradicted claims made by Israeli police.
NGO Adalah -- The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, who is representing Abu al-Qian’s family, released a statement Thursday demanding an investigation be opened into the circumstances of the death of Abu al-Qian.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote in a statement at the time that “a vehicle driven by a terrorist from the Islamic Movement intended to strike a number officers and carry out an attack,” and that police officers responded by shooting and killing the driver.
According to the Adalah, the police video footage of the incident and eyewitness testimony reveal that police opened fire on Abu al-Qian's vehicle before he accelerated in the direction of officers. “This totally contradicts police claims that Abu Al Qi'an sought to ‘ram’ them with his vehicle,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, MKs Ahmad Tibi and Usama Saadi of the Joint List introduced a new bill on Thursday to the Knesset proposing a ten-year freeze on demolitions of homes built by Palestinians in Israel without government-issued permits in order to develop a comprehensive zoning and development plan.
“It’s not an accident that there are tens of thousands of homes with demolition orders against them” in Palestinian communities in Israel, Tibi told Israel Radio. “It’s not in their genes. There are no development plans, no zoning plans, no expansion.”
Rights groups have long claimed that demolitions in Bedouin villages unrecognized by Israel were a central policy aimed at removing the indigenous Palestinian population from the Negev and transferring them to government-zoned townships to make room for the expansion of Jewish-Israeli communities.
Groups such as the Negev Coexistence and Civil Equality Forum and the Coalition of Women for Peace placed responsibility for the deadly violence squarely on the Israeli government.
"The direct responsibility for today’s dangerous escalation and bloodshed at the village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev rests upon those who took the decision to destroy a Bedouin village which had existed for decades, completely raze and wipe it off the face of the earth, to expel the residents and establish a Jewish ‘community’ in its place,” Gush Shalom quoted the groups as saying at the time.
Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of the Middle East division of NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), said that the events at Umm al-Hiran followed “a pattern of excessive force used by the Israeli police.”
“As in the West Bank, Israel discriminates against Bedouins and Palestinians more generally inside its borders in its planning policies, which seek to maximize control of land for for Jewish communities. Israel should investigate the killings, hold those responsible to account, and abandon the discriminatory plan to raze Umm al-Hiran."
20 jan 2017
Israeli media sources said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s intention to move his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem would trigger tension in the region.
Maariv Hebrew newspaper quoted Israeli officials as warning that a state of tension would prevail throughout the area in protest against Trump’s move.
Trump’s step would ignite the region, while Israeli and Palestinian politicians’ statements would add fuel to the fire, the paper said.
Donald Trump told the Israeli daily Israel Hayom on Thursday that he intends to follow through with his campaign promise to relocate the embassy.
Angry Palestinians protested on Thursday against the idea of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, warning of its serious implications.
Maariv Hebrew newspaper quoted Israeli officials as warning that a state of tension would prevail throughout the area in protest against Trump’s move.
Trump’s step would ignite the region, while Israeli and Palestinian politicians’ statements would add fuel to the fire, the paper said.
Donald Trump told the Israeli daily Israel Hayom on Thursday that he intends to follow through with his campaign promise to relocate the embassy.
Angry Palestinians protested on Thursday against the idea of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, warning of its serious implications.
An Israeli highway leading from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem was inaugurated Friday morning.
The move has brought into operation new tunnels expected to drastically slash Israelis’ travel time to the city.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the inauguration of the tunnels “a historic moment” for the road to Occupied Jerusalem, noting that it had greatly shortened the distance to the holy city.
The move has brought into operation new tunnels expected to drastically slash Israelis’ travel time to the city.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the inauguration of the tunnels “a historic moment” for the road to Occupied Jerusalem, noting that it had greatly shortened the distance to the holy city.
The council of foreign ministers of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a declaration following an extraordinary meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, 19 January, reaffirming the centrality of the Palestinian cause for the Islamic world.
In their declaration, the OIC member states have recalled all relevant resolutions adopted by the OIC, the UN General Assembly and Security Council, on the illegal Israeli practices in the occupied territories of the State of Palestine, including east Jerusalem.
The member states reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of all the illegal settlement activities perpetrated by Israel, the occupying power, to colonize the occupied Palestinian land, including east Jerusalem.
They welcomed the UN Security Council’s adoption of resolution No. 2334 for 2016, which provides, among other things, for the non-recognition of any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including east Jerusalem.
They emphasized the importance of this resolution in ensuring better prospects for a just, durable and comprehensive peace, and condemned statements and positions opposing the said resolution as “incompatible with the international law and the requisites for the achievement of peace.”
They stressed the importance of Jerusalem to the Muslim nation religiously and spiritually and rejected any steps or attempts undermining or denying the Palestinian right to full sovereignty over east Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine.
They called upon all foreign states and their officials to desist from any activities or statements that might support or encourage Israel, the occupying power, to persist in its violations against the Palestinians and in its illegal occupation and annexation of east Jerusalem.
They warned, in particular, against any intent to relocate diplomatic missions to the holy city or hold official meetings there.
Finally, the member states renewed their vow to continue extending assistance to Palestine and rally international support for the Palestinian people and their national rights, especially their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
In their declaration, the OIC member states have recalled all relevant resolutions adopted by the OIC, the UN General Assembly and Security Council, on the illegal Israeli practices in the occupied territories of the State of Palestine, including east Jerusalem.
The member states reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of all the illegal settlement activities perpetrated by Israel, the occupying power, to colonize the occupied Palestinian land, including east Jerusalem.
They welcomed the UN Security Council’s adoption of resolution No. 2334 for 2016, which provides, among other things, for the non-recognition of any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including east Jerusalem.
They emphasized the importance of this resolution in ensuring better prospects for a just, durable and comprehensive peace, and condemned statements and positions opposing the said resolution as “incompatible with the international law and the requisites for the achievement of peace.”
They stressed the importance of Jerusalem to the Muslim nation religiously and spiritually and rejected any steps or attempts undermining or denying the Palestinian right to full sovereignty over east Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine.
They called upon all foreign states and their officials to desist from any activities or statements that might support or encourage Israel, the occupying power, to persist in its violations against the Palestinians and in its illegal occupation and annexation of east Jerusalem.
They warned, in particular, against any intent to relocate diplomatic missions to the holy city or hold official meetings there.
Finally, the member states renewed their vow to continue extending assistance to Palestine and rally international support for the Palestinian people and their national rights, especially their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
2,700 new Israeli settlements units have been approved early Friday in Gush Etzion illegal settlement only few hours ahead of US president Donald Trump’s inauguration.
US flags were raised throughout the settlement celebrating the inauguration and presidency of Donald Trump.
The newly approved housing units had been frozen because of the international criticism of settlement activity in the last three years.
However, Israeli authorities decided to step up settlement construction after Trump’s election as US President.
Representatives of Israeli settlers have reportedly received an invitation to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony.
US flags were raised throughout the settlement celebrating the inauguration and presidency of Donald Trump.
The newly approved housing units had been frozen because of the international criticism of settlement activity in the last three years.
However, Israeli authorities decided to step up settlement construction after Trump’s election as US President.
Representatives of Israeli settlers have reportedly received an invitation to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony.
The family of slain Palestinian Yaqub Musa Abu Qi’an, a resident of the village of Um al-Hiran in the Negev who was killed by Israeli police on Wednesday, refused the Israeli burial conditions.
Local sources affirmed that the family refused Israeli police orders to bury their son in Negev instead of his hometown of Um al-Hiran.
Qi’an was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire in the early hours of Wednesday morning after his car allegedly struck and killed an Israeli police officer.
The incident occurred as Israeli police forces were demolishing eight homes in the village.
Local sources affirmed that the family refused Israeli police orders to bury their son in Negev instead of his hometown of Um al-Hiran.
Qi’an was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire in the early hours of Wednesday morning after his car allegedly struck and killed an Israeli police officer.
The incident occurred as Israeli police forces were demolishing eight homes in the village.
19 jan 2017
Two right-wing Knesset members have announced they will bring a new bill for the annexation of the illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem to a vote at the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Israeli sources saying that MKs Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi) and Yoav Kisch (Likud), heads of the Knesset’s Land of Israel Lobby, proposed the bill.
Smotrich and Kish called for making the most of the window of opportunity provided by the administration change in the US and imposing Israel’s sovereignty over what they claim to be the Jews’ historical land.
“I believe that this is the gift which the Israeli nation deserves, in preparation for [president-elect] Donald Trump`s inauguration, and the necessary change of policy in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank),” Smotrich said during a special Knesset session last Tuesday.
For his part, Kisch said that “he does not want the peace of those who believe that applying sovereignty over Ma’ale Adumim is an obstacle to peace.”
“We use the word ‘applying sovereignty’ and not ‘annexation.’ We apply sovereignty over what belongs to us,” he added.
In early January, Habayit Hayehudi chairman and minister of education Naftali Bennett called on the government coalition to pass a law annexing Ma’ale Adumim, a large settlement east of Jerusalem, to Israel by the end of the month.
"Before the end of January, we, together with all the coalition parties, will propose a bill for the imposition of Israeli law on Ma’ale Adumim," Bennett said. "I expect all members of the government to support the bill."
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Israeli sources saying that MKs Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi) and Yoav Kisch (Likud), heads of the Knesset’s Land of Israel Lobby, proposed the bill.
Smotrich and Kish called for making the most of the window of opportunity provided by the administration change in the US and imposing Israel’s sovereignty over what they claim to be the Jews’ historical land.
“I believe that this is the gift which the Israeli nation deserves, in preparation for [president-elect] Donald Trump`s inauguration, and the necessary change of policy in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank),” Smotrich said during a special Knesset session last Tuesday.
For his part, Kisch said that “he does not want the peace of those who believe that applying sovereignty over Ma’ale Adumim is an obstacle to peace.”
“We use the word ‘applying sovereignty’ and not ‘annexation.’ We apply sovereignty over what belongs to us,” he added.
In early January, Habayit Hayehudi chairman and minister of education Naftali Bennett called on the government coalition to pass a law annexing Ma’ale Adumim, a large settlement east of Jerusalem, to Israel by the end of the month.
"Before the end of January, we, together with all the coalition parties, will propose a bill for the imposition of Israeli law on Ma’ale Adumim," Bennett said. "I expect all members of the government to support the bill."
President Barack Obama suggested on Wednesday that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem could have "explosive" results and said he was worried that the prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were waning, Reuters reported Wednesday.
"When sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive," Obama said at his last news conference as president.
He said his administration had warned the incoming Trump administration that big shifts in policy had consequences
"That's part of what we've tried to indicate to the incoming team in our transition process, is pay attention to this because this is ... volatile stuff," he said in response to a question about a potential embassy move.
Obama has said repeatedly that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is an impediment to creating two states, which the United States believes is the best solution to decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
He said his administration did not block a recent U.N. resolution on Israeli settlement activity because it felt a two-state solution was the only option for peace.
"The goal of the resolution was to simply say that the ... growth of the settlements are creating a reality on the ground that increasingly will make a two-state solution impossible," Obama said. "It was important for us to send a signal, a wakeup call that this moment may be passing."
Israel described the decision by the United States to abstain in the vote rather than wield its veto as "shameful." The U.S. move, along with a sharp speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the issue, reinforced tensions between the outgoing Obama administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to re-locate the embassy to Occupied Jerusalem, breaking with longstanding U.S. policy.
"When sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive," Obama said at his last news conference as president.
He said his administration had warned the incoming Trump administration that big shifts in policy had consequences
"That's part of what we've tried to indicate to the incoming team in our transition process, is pay attention to this because this is ... volatile stuff," he said in response to a question about a potential embassy move.
Obama has said repeatedly that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is an impediment to creating two states, which the United States believes is the best solution to decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
He said his administration did not block a recent U.N. resolution on Israeli settlement activity because it felt a two-state solution was the only option for peace.
"The goal of the resolution was to simply say that the ... growth of the settlements are creating a reality on the ground that increasingly will make a two-state solution impossible," Obama said. "It was important for us to send a signal, a wakeup call that this moment may be passing."
Israel described the decision by the United States to abstain in the vote rather than wield its veto as "shameful." The U.S. move, along with a sharp speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the issue, reinforced tensions between the outgoing Obama administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to re-locate the embassy to Occupied Jerusalem, breaking with longstanding U.S. policy.
An Israeli woman employed as a radio host with the Israeli government-run Army Radio was fired from her job Thursday after expressing on Facebook that she could understand the frustration of a Bedouin man who allegedly ran over a police officer who had come to destroy the Bedouin’s village.
Khen Elmaleh wrote on her Facebook page, “I would also run over a police officer if I were being removed from my home in order to make room for a town built for those more powerful than me”.
Her boss, Army Radio Commander Yaron Deckel, contacted her to fire her from her job – then he tweeted that those who support running over police have no place in the radio station.
It is still unclear whether the Bedouin man, Yaqub Musa Abu Qi’an, ran over the officer on purpose, or if he lost control of his vehicle – as local villagers say. After his vehicle hit the officer, he was shot multiple times and killed.
According to the leftist Israeli +972 magazine, “Elmaleh’s post was a sincere attempt at putting oneself in another’s shoes, but beyond that it also sought to draw a connection between the Bedouin struggle to remain on their land, and the decades-long Mizrahi struggle for public housing and against evictions.
Perhaps Elmaleh thought that expressing empathy with those who have lost or are about to lose their homes — to try and imagine what it might feel like to fight a seemingly endless battle against a government that doesn’t exactly want you here — would strike a chord with Israeli Jews. Perhaps Elmaleh believed that there was solidarity to be had among various the various groups living in Israel who are subject, day in and day out, to the brute force of the authorities. But by early morning the politicians and media had already portrayed Abu Qi’an as an ISIS-supporting terrorists. Elmaleh, in effect, had crossed the Rubicon: she expressed support for the ‘enemy.'”
Following her dismissal from her job, Elmaleh received many comments to her Facebook page – many of them critical of her earlier post, and calling her a supporter of murder and terrorism. She responded, “I do not support murder, and I will not let the headlines turn me into a supporter of murder,” Elmaleh continued, adding that today it may have been the Bedouin fighting for their rights, but “tomorrow it could be Mizrahi residents in south Tel Aviv. How easy is it to turn this whole discussion into one over a ‘vehicular attack.’”
Khen Elmaleh wrote on her Facebook page, “I would also run over a police officer if I were being removed from my home in order to make room for a town built for those more powerful than me”.
Her boss, Army Radio Commander Yaron Deckel, contacted her to fire her from her job – then he tweeted that those who support running over police have no place in the radio station.
It is still unclear whether the Bedouin man, Yaqub Musa Abu Qi’an, ran over the officer on purpose, or if he lost control of his vehicle – as local villagers say. After his vehicle hit the officer, he was shot multiple times and killed.
According to the leftist Israeli +972 magazine, “Elmaleh’s post was a sincere attempt at putting oneself in another’s shoes, but beyond that it also sought to draw a connection between the Bedouin struggle to remain on their land, and the decades-long Mizrahi struggle for public housing and against evictions.
Perhaps Elmaleh thought that expressing empathy with those who have lost or are about to lose their homes — to try and imagine what it might feel like to fight a seemingly endless battle against a government that doesn’t exactly want you here — would strike a chord with Israeli Jews. Perhaps Elmaleh believed that there was solidarity to be had among various the various groups living in Israel who are subject, day in and day out, to the brute force of the authorities. But by early morning the politicians and media had already portrayed Abu Qi’an as an ISIS-supporting terrorists. Elmaleh, in effect, had crossed the Rubicon: she expressed support for the ‘enemy.'”
Following her dismissal from her job, Elmaleh received many comments to her Facebook page – many of them critical of her earlier post, and calling her a supporter of murder and terrorism. She responded, “I do not support murder, and I will not let the headlines turn me into a supporter of murder,” Elmaleh continued, adding that today it may have been the Bedouin fighting for their rights, but “tomorrow it could be Mizrahi residents in south Tel Aviv. How easy is it to turn this whole discussion into one over a ‘vehicular attack.’”