Israeli defense minister apologizes for Palestinian's death

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Israeli defense minister apologizes for Palestinian’s death

May 31, 2020

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister apologized on Sunday for the Israeli police’s deadly shooting of an unarmed Palestinian man who was autistic.

The shooting of Iyad Halak, 32, in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday, drew broad condemnations and revived complaints alleging excessive force by Israeli security forces.

Benny Gantz, who is also Israel’s “alternate” prime minister under a power-sharing deal, made the remarks at the weekly meeting of the Israeli Cabinet. He was sat near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made no mention of the incident in his opening remarks.

“We are really sorry about the incident in which Iyad Halak was shot to death and we share in the family’s grief,” Gantz said. “I am sure this subject will be investigated swiftly and conclusions will be reached.”

Halak’s relatives said he had autism and was heading to a school for students with special needs where he studied each day when he was shot.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/9668b9bfbe27e018bc92e953a4d18878

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. This is one of the saddest stories I've ever read.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-04/killing-of-palestinian-man-with-autism-draws-floyd-parallel

JERUSALEM — Iyad Halak liked to watch cartoons. He loved dressing up and wearing cologne. He even dreamed of getting married. But his favorite activity was walking to school, where he volunteered in the kitchen, preparing meals for his fellow special-needs students.

Early Saturday, the 32-year-old Palestinian with severe autism was chased by Israeli border police forces into a nook in Jerusalem’s Old City and fatally shot as he cowered next to a garbage bin after apparently being mistaken for an attacker. He was just a few yards from his beloved Elwyn El Quds school.

The shooting has drawn comparisons to the death of George Floyd in the U.S. and prompted a series of small demonstrations against police violence toward Palestinians. The calls for justice have crossed Jewish-Arab lines, a rarity in this deeply polarized society.

Yet for his devastated family, such gestures have provided little comfort and even less hope that the officers who shot Halak will be punished.

I wanted to post it in GD, but not being familiar where the lines are, I didn't.

[TristanIsolde]

2. An apology is good and all, but will anyone be charged ?