Amro Abu Khdeir found himself at the center of attention, somewhat in spite of himself. In Jerusalem on May 13, he is one of those carrying the remains of Shireen Abu Akleh, an iconic Al-Jazeera journalist killed two days earlier near the Jenin camp in the West Bank during an operation of the Israeli army. The funeral is broadcast live, the Palestinians want to come together to bid farewell to this known and respected figure. The Israelis, accused by witnesses on the spot of being responsible for the shooting that killed the journalist, fear a show of force in Jerusalem, a city over which they claim sovereignty, not recognized at the international level.
As the funeral procession starts, the Israeli police charge, the crowd part and the cameras focus on Amro Abu Khdeir, gray T-shirt and close-cropped hair. With one hand, the 34-year-old Palestinian holds the coffin firmly, with the other he tries to protect himself from the raining police truncheons. He resists for long seconds, then yields; the coffin tilts but does not fall, caught in extremis by a neighbor. The images go around the world; Faced with outrage, the police promise to open an investigation. She says she faced « throwing stones, bottles and other objects ». The videos, taken from above, show a few projectiles flying, but especially after the assault by the police.
The following days, Amro Abu Khdeir multiplies the interviews. Until Monday morning, when he was arrested at his home in East Jerusalem and placed in solitary confinement. According to his lawyer, he is accused of« Belonging to a terrorist organization »a broad qualifier that Israel uses both to designate the Islamic movement of Hamas and to discredit Palestinian NGOs that denounce the occupation. « It’s a secret file, we can’t go into the details, continues Mand Khaldoun Najm, but [lors de l’interrogatoire] it was all about the funeral, the people who had fallen and him who didn’t fall. » The police assure, on the contrary, that the investigation has nothing to do with the incidents of May 13. His detention has been extended until Sunday 22 May.
In this context, the Israeli press assured, on May 19, that the army had no intention of opening an investigation into the death of the journalist. The military believe that there is no « suspicion of foul play »explains the daily Ha’aretz.
« Inhumane acts »
Also, just hours after the arrest of Amro Abu Khdeir, seventy-one Palestinians and six policemen were injured at the funeral of another Jerusalem resident. Walid Al-Sharif, 23, died after being injured in April on the esplanade of the Mosques. His family assures that he was shot in the head by a rubber-rimmed metal bullet; the Israelis say he hurt himself when he fell. At his funeral on Monday evening, the police say they had to face « hundreds of violent rioters ». The repression and the intrusion of the forces of order into the cemetery have been condemned and described as « inhuman act » by Jordan.
You have 21.96% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.