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Mohamed Abu Khudeir, 16, june 12 2014 Burned alive by settlers |
4 july 2014
Clashes erupted between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers after Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem as crowds gathered in Shufat for the funeral of Muhammad Abu Khdeir.
Israeli authorities set up barriers in the streets and alleyways of the Old City and closed down several roads, preventing worshipers from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Israeli police said "thousands" of officers were on the streets across East Jerusalem ahead of the teenager's funeral in the Shufat neighborhood, which coincided with the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"Dozens of Palestinian youngsters, some masked, threw stones at police in Ras al-Amud," Israeli police tweeted, referring to a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli authorities set up barriers in the streets and alleyways of the Old City and closed down several roads, preventing worshipers from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Israeli police said "thousands" of officers were on the streets across East Jerusalem ahead of the teenager's funeral in the Shufat neighborhood, which coincided with the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"Dozens of Palestinian youngsters, some masked, threw stones at police in Ras al-Amud," Israeli police tweeted, referring to a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
Just 8,000 Palestinian worshipers joined the prayers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, police said, with many staying away for fear of clashes with Israeli forces.
On the same day last year police reported a crowd of 80,000.
Residents of Shufat have been gathering since the early morning to receive the body of Muhammad Abu Khdeir for burial.
The Palestinian teenager was kidnapped and murdered overnight Tuesday in a suspected revenge attack by Israelis.
Red Crescent ambulances left from outside of the Abu Khdeir family home on Friday afternoon to receive the boy's body from Hadassah hospital.
On the same day last year police reported a crowd of 80,000.
Residents of Shufat have been gathering since the early morning to receive the body of Muhammad Abu Khdeir for burial.
The Palestinian teenager was kidnapped and murdered overnight Tuesday in a suspected revenge attack by Israelis.
Red Crescent ambulances left from outside of the Abu Khdeir family home on Friday afternoon to receive the boy's body from Hadassah hospital.
An Israeli soldier stands guard at the Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, on July 4, 2014
Israeli police flooded East Jerusalem ahead of the funeral of a murdered Palestinian teenager and the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, who was kidnapped and found dead on Wednesday, was to be buried in East Jerusalem's Shufat neighborhood after the midday prayers, with tensions running high after two straight days of violence.
Israeli commanders meanwhile waited to see if a series of statements by Israeli leaders promising to "meet quiet with quiet" would bring a halt to the latest flare-up of violence on the Gaza border.
Media reports spoke of a possible truce in the making after a week of militant rocket fire into southern Israel and retaliatory air strikes against Gaza.
There were no official statements from Israel or its Hamas foe in Gaza and the army reported that four rockets were fired at Israel on Friday morning, with one intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system and at least two hitting open ground.
An Israeli police statement said that "thousands of police were deployed this morning in East Jerusalem in order to maintain security."
Tens of thousands of worshipers were expected to head for the Al-Aqsa mosque complex for the main weekly prayers on the first Friday of Ramadan.
Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that following a late-night situation assessment, police commanders decided to limit access by men to the complex to those over 50 years of age. There were no restrictions on women, he said.
After the prayers, Abu Khdeir's funeral was to be held in Shufat, a day later than originally planned after his body was held so that pathologists could complete a post-mortem.
Many believe he was killed in revenge for the abduction and murder in the occupied West Bank last month of three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were found on Monday.
Israeli police say the motive for Abu Khder's killing is still unclear, and have not said how he died.
In Shufat and other parts of Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, Palestinians clashed with police for a second straight day on Thursday, hurling rocks and fireworks at Israeli police and burning tires.
Over 170 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during clashes in Shufat on Wednesday, medics said.
Israeli police flooded East Jerusalem ahead of the funeral of a murdered Palestinian teenager and the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, who was kidnapped and found dead on Wednesday, was to be buried in East Jerusalem's Shufat neighborhood after the midday prayers, with tensions running high after two straight days of violence.
Israeli commanders meanwhile waited to see if a series of statements by Israeli leaders promising to "meet quiet with quiet" would bring a halt to the latest flare-up of violence on the Gaza border.
Media reports spoke of a possible truce in the making after a week of militant rocket fire into southern Israel and retaliatory air strikes against Gaza.
There were no official statements from Israel or its Hamas foe in Gaza and the army reported that four rockets were fired at Israel on Friday morning, with one intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system and at least two hitting open ground.
An Israeli police statement said that "thousands of police were deployed this morning in East Jerusalem in order to maintain security."
Tens of thousands of worshipers were expected to head for the Al-Aqsa mosque complex for the main weekly prayers on the first Friday of Ramadan.
Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that following a late-night situation assessment, police commanders decided to limit access by men to the complex to those over 50 years of age. There were no restrictions on women, he said.
After the prayers, Abu Khdeir's funeral was to be held in Shufat, a day later than originally planned after his body was held so that pathologists could complete a post-mortem.
Many believe he was killed in revenge for the abduction and murder in the occupied West Bank last month of three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were found on Monday.
Israeli police say the motive for Abu Khder's killing is still unclear, and have not said how he died.
In Shufat and other parts of Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, Palestinians clashed with police for a second straight day on Thursday, hurling rocks and fireworks at Israeli police and burning tires.
Over 170 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during clashes in Shufat on Wednesday, medics said.
Israeli SWAT police members secure a street during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the Shufat neighborhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, on July 3, 2014
Israel warned Hamas Thursday against any escalation in violence, reinforcing its Gaza border amid heightened tensions after the murder of a Palestinian teenager.
"We are looking for calm, not escalation, but if Hamas chooses to act against us, we shall be ready," armed forces chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said in remarks tweeted by the army.
Two rockets were fired early Friday from Gaza, Israeli media reported, both landing in an open area near Sderot. There were no reports of airstrikes overnight.
Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades warned Israel to wind down its Gaza airstrikes and widespread West Bank arrests -- mainly of Hamas members.
"What the enemy is doing in the West Bank and Gaza... adds fuel to the fire of confrontation," spokesman Abu Obeida told reporters.
"Idiotic measures by your leaders will be enough for us to turn your localities and sites... into embers."
The war of words came as Palestinians in East Jerusalem protested for the second day against the abduction and murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir.
The family lawyer told AFP the boy's body had been burnt "beyond recognition".
After an autopsy Abu Khdeir will be buried following traditional Friday prayers, the first of Islam's holy month of Ramadan.
'You will pay'
Hamas said it held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government directly responsible for Abu Khdeir's killing.
"You will pay the price for your crimes," it said.
As tensions rose, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said "we are moving and we have moved forces in order to serve defense activities and forward preparation, but we have no interest in escalation".
The reinforcements were reserve officers at "headquarter level, not in the field", Lerner said, and were purely defensive.
However, an AFP photographer saw tanks arriving at a kibbutz near the Gaza border.
"We are prepared for two possibilities in the south," army radio quoted Netanyahu as telling a July 4 reception at the US ambassador’s residence.
"That the fire at our communities will stop and our activities will also stop, or that the fire at our residents of the south will continue and then the reinforced troops which are in place will act forcefully."
Israeli warplanes pounded targets inside Gaza on Thursday and militants fired 34 rockets into Israel, the army said.
It said another two were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system and four more failed to clear the border.
Netanyahu denounced Abu Khdeir's killing as "despicable" and urged both sides "not to take the law into their own hands".
Four Israeli soldiers who allegedly used social media to call for revenge and to "annihilate terrorists" have been jailed for 10 days.
Outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres in a statement called for restraint.
"People who are engaged in incitement are not always aware where it can lead, to more sorrow, to more dangers," he said.
Witnesses saw 'abduction'
Witnesses told AFP they saw Abu Khdeir being forced into a black Honda Civic by "two Israelis" with a third in the driving seat. It then drove off at high speed, evading two cars which tried to follow.
The killing drew condemnation from around the world, including from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which said the abduction and murder of civilians "must stop now".
A rally in central Tel Aviv called by leftist Israeli groups to protest against violence and counter calls for revenge had a poor turnout, with witnesses estimating the crowd at no more than 2,000.
Police said "hundreds" attended a similar event outside Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem.
Tensions have soared since June 12 when the three Israelis disappeared in the West Bank, triggering a vast search and arrest operation which saw over 600 Palestinians detained and at least six killed.
Israel warned Hamas Thursday against any escalation in violence, reinforcing its Gaza border amid heightened tensions after the murder of a Palestinian teenager.
"We are looking for calm, not escalation, but if Hamas chooses to act against us, we shall be ready," armed forces chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said in remarks tweeted by the army.
Two rockets were fired early Friday from Gaza, Israeli media reported, both landing in an open area near Sderot. There were no reports of airstrikes overnight.
Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades warned Israel to wind down its Gaza airstrikes and widespread West Bank arrests -- mainly of Hamas members.
"What the enemy is doing in the West Bank and Gaza... adds fuel to the fire of confrontation," spokesman Abu Obeida told reporters.
"Idiotic measures by your leaders will be enough for us to turn your localities and sites... into embers."
The war of words came as Palestinians in East Jerusalem protested for the second day against the abduction and murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir.
The family lawyer told AFP the boy's body had been burnt "beyond recognition".
After an autopsy Abu Khdeir will be buried following traditional Friday prayers, the first of Islam's holy month of Ramadan.
'You will pay'
Hamas said it held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government directly responsible for Abu Khdeir's killing.
"You will pay the price for your crimes," it said.
As tensions rose, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said "we are moving and we have moved forces in order to serve defense activities and forward preparation, but we have no interest in escalation".
The reinforcements were reserve officers at "headquarter level, not in the field", Lerner said, and were purely defensive.
However, an AFP photographer saw tanks arriving at a kibbutz near the Gaza border.
"We are prepared for two possibilities in the south," army radio quoted Netanyahu as telling a July 4 reception at the US ambassador’s residence.
"That the fire at our communities will stop and our activities will also stop, or that the fire at our residents of the south will continue and then the reinforced troops which are in place will act forcefully."
Israeli warplanes pounded targets inside Gaza on Thursday and militants fired 34 rockets into Israel, the army said.
It said another two were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system and four more failed to clear the border.
Netanyahu denounced Abu Khdeir's killing as "despicable" and urged both sides "not to take the law into their own hands".
Four Israeli soldiers who allegedly used social media to call for revenge and to "annihilate terrorists" have been jailed for 10 days.
Outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres in a statement called for restraint.
"People who are engaged in incitement are not always aware where it can lead, to more sorrow, to more dangers," he said.
Witnesses saw 'abduction'
Witnesses told AFP they saw Abu Khdeir being forced into a black Honda Civic by "two Israelis" with a third in the driving seat. It then drove off at high speed, evading two cars which tried to follow.
The killing drew condemnation from around the world, including from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which said the abduction and murder of civilians "must stop now".
A rally in central Tel Aviv called by leftist Israeli groups to protest against violence and counter calls for revenge had a poor turnout, with witnesses estimating the crowd at no more than 2,000.
Police said "hundreds" attended a similar event outside Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem.
Tensions have soared since June 12 when the three Israelis disappeared in the West Bank, triggering a vast search and arrest operation which saw over 600 Palestinians detained and at least six killed.
3 july 2014
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Claims that Mohamed Abu Khdeir was targeted by Israeli extremists in revenge attack appear to be bolstered by video.
New video footage has emerged which the family of a Palestinian teenager abducted and murdered earlier this week says shows the moment of his kidnapping. Mohamed Abu Khdeir, 17, was snatched by three men in car while he was waiting to pray outside a mosque next to his home in east Jerusalem. His badly burned body was discovered in a forest on the western side of the city. Senior Palestinian figures, including President Mahmoud Abbas, have said |
they believe the teenager was targeted by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack for the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers three weeks ago.
This claim appeared to be bolstered by the emergence of the footage which the boy's family says captures the abduction – and suggests that he was randomly targeted outside a mosque and did not know his kidnappers.
The video, shown to the Guardian at the family home in Shuafat, was found on a CCTV camera a little way from the place where he went missing.
Relatives insist that it shows Khdeir about a hundred yards away sitting on a wall, a slumped dark shadow who moves occasionally.
Dated and timestamped, the footage appears consistent with the timings and account given by witnesses, although it is not possible to see any identifiable features or to verify the claims.
Crucially the video appears to suggest that the abductors spotted the teenager sitting alone by chance, returned to watch him and let cars pass before approaching.
The key footage begins at 3.45am. Several cars pass where the boys is sitting, heading through a junction with some lights.
Then a car stops at the lights before reversing back down the road, past the boy, and out of frame. At 3.50am two figures in lighter clothing walk into the frame and towards Mohamed. They appear to engage him in conversation and then the car moves into shot again, drawing level.
The car pulls forward again past the group and then reverses amid what appears to be a struggle. When the car drives away at 3.51am the figure who had been sitting on the wall is gone.
The disclosure of the tape came as the Israeli military bolstered forces along the increasingly volatile border with the Gaza Strip in response to intensifying rocket fire, which has added to the mounting sense of crisis.
In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, convened his security cabinet for a fourth time since Monday.
Although military and political sources have made clear they would like to avoid a serious conflict in Gaza with the militant Islamist group Hamas, whom Netanyahu blames for the kidnap and murder of the three Israeli teenagers, sources made clear that the group had a deadline of 24 hours to halt rocket fire.
Commenting on the new deployment of troops in Gaza, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, said forces were taking up "defence positions" in Israeli communities that have been struck by the rockets from Gaza. He did not comment on the scale of the deployment. It follows air strikes against the territory early on Thursday.
It is the first time since the border began to heat up in mid-June – in tandem with an Israeli military sweep and search for the three abducted Israeli youths in the West Bank - that Israel has announced troop movements near the Gaza Strip.
"We are moving and we have moved forces," Lerner said in a conference call with foreign journalists. "Everything we are doing is to de-escalate the situation but on the other hand to be prepared if they don't de-escalate."
Israel, he said, has "no interest in deepening the conflict with Gaza – the absolute opposite is true".
Tensions in Jerusalem remained high in anticipation of Khdeir's funeral. No time has been set for the burial, an event that will stir strong emotions among Palestinians and could trigger further confrontation.
The military said Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired 14 projectiles into Israel on Thursday and that rockets struck two homes in the southern town of Sderot, causing no casualties.
This claim appeared to be bolstered by the emergence of the footage which the boy's family says captures the abduction – and suggests that he was randomly targeted outside a mosque and did not know his kidnappers.
The video, shown to the Guardian at the family home in Shuafat, was found on a CCTV camera a little way from the place where he went missing.
Relatives insist that it shows Khdeir about a hundred yards away sitting on a wall, a slumped dark shadow who moves occasionally.
Dated and timestamped, the footage appears consistent with the timings and account given by witnesses, although it is not possible to see any identifiable features or to verify the claims.
Crucially the video appears to suggest that the abductors spotted the teenager sitting alone by chance, returned to watch him and let cars pass before approaching.
The key footage begins at 3.45am. Several cars pass where the boys is sitting, heading through a junction with some lights.
Then a car stops at the lights before reversing back down the road, past the boy, and out of frame. At 3.50am two figures in lighter clothing walk into the frame and towards Mohamed. They appear to engage him in conversation and then the car moves into shot again, drawing level.
The car pulls forward again past the group and then reverses amid what appears to be a struggle. When the car drives away at 3.51am the figure who had been sitting on the wall is gone.
The disclosure of the tape came as the Israeli military bolstered forces along the increasingly volatile border with the Gaza Strip in response to intensifying rocket fire, which has added to the mounting sense of crisis.
In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, convened his security cabinet for a fourth time since Monday.
Although military and political sources have made clear they would like to avoid a serious conflict in Gaza with the militant Islamist group Hamas, whom Netanyahu blames for the kidnap and murder of the three Israeli teenagers, sources made clear that the group had a deadline of 24 hours to halt rocket fire.
Commenting on the new deployment of troops in Gaza, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, said forces were taking up "defence positions" in Israeli communities that have been struck by the rockets from Gaza. He did not comment on the scale of the deployment. It follows air strikes against the territory early on Thursday.
It is the first time since the border began to heat up in mid-June – in tandem with an Israeli military sweep and search for the three abducted Israeli youths in the West Bank - that Israel has announced troop movements near the Gaza Strip.
"We are moving and we have moved forces," Lerner said in a conference call with foreign journalists. "Everything we are doing is to de-escalate the situation but on the other hand to be prepared if they don't de-escalate."
Israel, he said, has "no interest in deepening the conflict with Gaza – the absolute opposite is true".
Tensions in Jerusalem remained high in anticipation of Khdeir's funeral. No time has been set for the burial, an event that will stir strong emotions among Palestinians and could trigger further confrontation.
The military said Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired 14 projectiles into Israel on Thursday and that rockets struck two homes in the southern town of Sderot, causing no casualties.
Hamas Movement has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu of issuing orders to the settlers for the kidnapping and killing of the Jerusalemite child Mohamed Abu Khudeir. The Islamic movement strongly condemned the "heinous crime" carried out by Israeli settlers on Wednesday that “reflects Israel’s ugly and racist image and exposes its attempts of playing the victim’s role”.
The movement called on the international community to bear its responsibility towards Palestinian people and children in particular, and not to turn a blind eye to the Israeli settlers’ crimes and attacks.
Hamas also called on PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to stop security coordination that provides protection for Israeli settlers and prevents resistance from playing its role in protecting the Palestinian people
The movement condemned Abbas’s weak reaction following Abu Khudier’s murder, calling on human rights institutions to work for exposing Israeli forces and settlers’ crimes.
For his part, former Prime Minister and deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau Ismail Haniyyeh condemned the settlers’ crime in Shuafat town in occupied Jerusalem.
“We stand united behind our people in the West Bank in face of the Israeli ceaseless aggressions”, he said in a brief statement on Wednesday, calling on the international community to immediately intervene and put an end to Israeli crimes.
In his turn, senior leader in Hamas movement Dr. Salah Bardawil strongly condemned the kidnapping and killing of Abu Khudeir by Israeli settlers, warning of this serious escalation’s implication in the West Bank.
He held the occupation authorities and Netanyahu fully responsible for the crime, criticizing the international community’s biased policy in dealing with events in occupied Palestine.
He said only resistance could put an end to the Israeli hysterical escalation that came in an attempt to show its superiority and deterrent power against Palestinian people.
He said that the U.S. administration and international community had given Israel a green light in advance to escalate aggressions and attacks against the Palestinian people.
Along the same line, the political analyst Abdul Sattar Qassem warned of escalating Israeli settlers’ attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
In an executive interview with the PIC, Qassem said that Israeli and Palestinian authorities in Ramallah provide protection for Israeli settlers, while Palestinian citizens’ freedom of movement is restricted.
He pointed out that PA has liquidated armed resistance in the West Bank, the fact that gave settlers a green light to move freely in different parts of the West Bank in violation of international resolutions.
Qassem ruled out the possibility of the outbreak of a third uprising after the liquidation of resistance culture among citizens, calling on resistance factions to deter Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, Popular Resistance Committees and its armed wing Salah al-Din Brigades threatened that Israeli authorities and settlers will pay a heavy price for their crimes against the Palestinian people.
Spokesman for the brigades Abu Mujahed said that Palestinian martyrs’ blood will not be in vain, but a curse that chases the occupation till its end.
“Israeli continued crimes against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip expose Israeli bloody mentality,” he added.
The movement called on the international community to bear its responsibility towards Palestinian people and children in particular, and not to turn a blind eye to the Israeli settlers’ crimes and attacks.
Hamas also called on PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to stop security coordination that provides protection for Israeli settlers and prevents resistance from playing its role in protecting the Palestinian people
The movement condemned Abbas’s weak reaction following Abu Khudier’s murder, calling on human rights institutions to work for exposing Israeli forces and settlers’ crimes.
For his part, former Prime Minister and deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau Ismail Haniyyeh condemned the settlers’ crime in Shuafat town in occupied Jerusalem.
“We stand united behind our people in the West Bank in face of the Israeli ceaseless aggressions”, he said in a brief statement on Wednesday, calling on the international community to immediately intervene and put an end to Israeli crimes.
In his turn, senior leader in Hamas movement Dr. Salah Bardawil strongly condemned the kidnapping and killing of Abu Khudeir by Israeli settlers, warning of this serious escalation’s implication in the West Bank.
He held the occupation authorities and Netanyahu fully responsible for the crime, criticizing the international community’s biased policy in dealing with events in occupied Palestine.
He said only resistance could put an end to the Israeli hysterical escalation that came in an attempt to show its superiority and deterrent power against Palestinian people.
He said that the U.S. administration and international community had given Israel a green light in advance to escalate aggressions and attacks against the Palestinian people.
Along the same line, the political analyst Abdul Sattar Qassem warned of escalating Israeli settlers’ attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
In an executive interview with the PIC, Qassem said that Israeli and Palestinian authorities in Ramallah provide protection for Israeli settlers, while Palestinian citizens’ freedom of movement is restricted.
He pointed out that PA has liquidated armed resistance in the West Bank, the fact that gave settlers a green light to move freely in different parts of the West Bank in violation of international resolutions.
Qassem ruled out the possibility of the outbreak of a third uprising after the liquidation of resistance culture among citizens, calling on resistance factions to deter Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, Popular Resistance Committees and its armed wing Salah al-Din Brigades threatened that Israeli authorities and settlers will pay a heavy price for their crimes against the Palestinian people.
Spokesman for the brigades Abu Mujahed said that Palestinian martyrs’ blood will not be in vain, but a curse that chases the occupation till its end.
“Israeli continued crimes against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip expose Israeli bloody mentality,” he added.
In Heinous Crime by Israeli Settlers, Palestinian Child Kidnapped, Tortured and Killed and His Body Mutilated in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns in the strongest possible terms the crime of kidnapping, torturing, killing and burning a Palestinian child, Mohammed Abu Khudair, from Shu’fat neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, by Israeli settlers.
PCHR believes that the Israeli authorities’ connivance with crimes committed by Israeli settlers, supporting and protecting them, and failing to enforce the law against them serve to encourage them to commit more systematic crimes against Palestinian civilians.
While PCHR views positively the statement by Robert Serry, the Envoy of the UN Secretary General to the Quartet, strongly condemning the crime of killing the child, it calls upon the international community to immediately act to provide protection to Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
In one of the most heinous crimes committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the oPt, a group of Israeli settlers kidnapped Mohammed Hussein Abu Khudair, 16, from the vicinity of his family’s house in Shu’fat neighborhood in the north of occupied Jerusalem, subjected him to brutal torture, and then killed him.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 05:00 on Wednesday, 02 July 2014, 5 Israeli settlers kidnapped the child from the vicinity of his family’s house in Shu’fat neighborhood in the north of occupied Jerusalem.
A few hours later, the Israeli police declared that they found the child’s body in forest lands near “Givat Shaul” settlement, adjacent to Deir Yassin village, west of Jerusalem.
The police confirmed that signs of torture and burns were seen on the child’s body.
Eyewitnesses and residents of Shu’fat neighborhood stated to PCHR that according to recordings of surveillance cameras stabled on houses and shops in the area, 5 Israeli settlers traveling in a Hyundai car kidnapped Abu Khudair when he was in front of his house.
Two of the settlers stepped out of the car and forced Abu Khudair into the car.
The Israeli police issued a statement indicating that they received a notice on Wednesday morning that “a child was kidnapped and forced into a vehicle in Shu’fat area.”
A few hours later, the police received another notice about the child’s disappearance, and then another notice informing that a corpse was found in a forest area in Jerusalem.
The police headed to the area and found the corpse of the child, on which signs of severe violence were seen.
The Israeli police pointed out that the crime is being investigated and that initial suspicions are focused on a retaliatory act by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and property in the context of the so-called “Price Tag.”
PCHR has constantly warned of the escalation of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and property. PCHR strongly condemns escalated attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the oPt, in particular attacks by settlers in the West Bank, and:
1. Calls upon the international community to pressurize Israeli authorities to refrain from providing protection and connivance to settlers in regards to crimes committed by them and demands the Israeli government to prosecute settlers who perpetrate such attacks;
2. Calls upon the international community to pressurize Israel to comply with its obligations under the international law and end all settlement activities in the oPt;
3. Reminds the international community that settlement is a war crime according to the international law, so the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, individually or jointly, must comply with their legal and moral obligations, and ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the oPt, in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns in the strongest possible terms the crime of kidnapping, torturing, killing and burning a Palestinian child, Mohammed Abu Khudair, from Shu’fat neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, by Israeli settlers.
PCHR believes that the Israeli authorities’ connivance with crimes committed by Israeli settlers, supporting and protecting them, and failing to enforce the law against them serve to encourage them to commit more systematic crimes against Palestinian civilians.
While PCHR views positively the statement by Robert Serry, the Envoy of the UN Secretary General to the Quartet, strongly condemning the crime of killing the child, it calls upon the international community to immediately act to provide protection to Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
In one of the most heinous crimes committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the oPt, a group of Israeli settlers kidnapped Mohammed Hussein Abu Khudair, 16, from the vicinity of his family’s house in Shu’fat neighborhood in the north of occupied Jerusalem, subjected him to brutal torture, and then killed him.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 05:00 on Wednesday, 02 July 2014, 5 Israeli settlers kidnapped the child from the vicinity of his family’s house in Shu’fat neighborhood in the north of occupied Jerusalem.
A few hours later, the Israeli police declared that they found the child’s body in forest lands near “Givat Shaul” settlement, adjacent to Deir Yassin village, west of Jerusalem.
The police confirmed that signs of torture and burns were seen on the child’s body.
Eyewitnesses and residents of Shu’fat neighborhood stated to PCHR that according to recordings of surveillance cameras stabled on houses and shops in the area, 5 Israeli settlers traveling in a Hyundai car kidnapped Abu Khudair when he was in front of his house.
Two of the settlers stepped out of the car and forced Abu Khudair into the car.
The Israeli police issued a statement indicating that they received a notice on Wednesday morning that “a child was kidnapped and forced into a vehicle in Shu’fat area.”
A few hours later, the police received another notice about the child’s disappearance, and then another notice informing that a corpse was found in a forest area in Jerusalem.
The police headed to the area and found the corpse of the child, on which signs of severe violence were seen.
The Israeli police pointed out that the crime is being investigated and that initial suspicions are focused on a retaliatory act by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and property in the context of the so-called “Price Tag.”
PCHR has constantly warned of the escalation of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and property. PCHR strongly condemns escalated attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the oPt, in particular attacks by settlers in the West Bank, and:
1. Calls upon the international community to pressurize Israeli authorities to refrain from providing protection and connivance to settlers in regards to crimes committed by them and demands the Israeli government to prosecute settlers who perpetrate such attacks;
2. Calls upon the international community to pressurize Israel to comply with its obligations under the international law and end all settlement activities in the oPt;
3. Reminds the international community that settlement is a war crime according to the international law, so the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, individually or jointly, must comply with their legal and moral obligations, and ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the oPt, in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention.
A Palestinian coroner from Al-Quds University will attend the autopsy for 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir on Thursday, relatives of the murdered teen told Ma'an.
Abu Khdeir, 16, was kidnapped and killed early Wednesday in a suspected act of revenge for the killing of three Israeli youths.
The family demanded that a Palestinian coroner be present during the autopsy, and Dr. Sabir al-Aloul, director of the Al-Quds University's Institute of Forensic Medicine, will represent the family.
The autopsy will take place at Israel's Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
The family of the murdered teenager were not allowed to see the body before it was taken for autopsy and Muhammad's father, Hussein, was detained and questioned for several hours by Israeli forces.
Abu Khdeir, 16, was kidnapped and killed early Wednesday in a suspected act of revenge for the killing of three Israeli youths.
The family demanded that a Palestinian coroner be present during the autopsy, and Dr. Sabir al-Aloul, director of the Al-Quds University's Institute of Forensic Medicine, will represent the family.
The autopsy will take place at Israel's Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
The family of the murdered teenager were not allowed to see the body before it was taken for autopsy and Muhammad's father, Hussein, was detained and questioned for several hours by Israeli forces.
