Crime Amounting to Extra-judicial Execution: IOF Kill Palestinian after Wounding Him and Neutralizing Any Threats in Occupied East Jerusalem

March 10th, 2022

Awake Goy

Date: 09 March 2022

Ref: 27/2022

Time: 09:25 GMT

On Monday, in a crime amounting to extrajudicial execution, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot and killed a Palestinian male, who stabbed two Israeli police officers in occupied East Jerusalem; even though IOF had shot and wounded him, neutralizing any threats he proposed. Data collected by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and footage that documented the incident showed that one of the Israeli police officers fired a live bullet from zero distance at a Palestinian male, despite that he was wounded and had fallen to the ground. This is the 3rd Palestinian killed in Jerusalem within two days; one of them was a child and the other was killed after carrying out a stabbing attack.

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 17: 35 on Monday, 07 March 2022, a Palestinian male arrived at a military checkpoint established on the stairs of Bab al-Qataneen, one of al-Aqsa Mosque’s gates in occupied East Jerusalem. He took a knife out and assaulted two Israeli police officers present in the area, wounding them. Afterwards, an Israeli police officer immediately opened fire at the Palestinian. As a result, he sustained several live bullets wounds and fell on the market’s stairs. Despite wounding him and neutralizing any threats he proposed, the officer continued to fire several bullets at him, wounding him with a live bullet from zero distance. A footage documented that Israeli police officer cursed the attacker and loudly shouted at him after he was wounded and fallen on the ground. During which, a police officer fired a live bullet from his pistol at the wounded from the zero distance.

After that, backup police officers rushed to the scene ad only provide first aid to the wounded officers while the Palestinian was left on the stairs. Also, they prevented the ambulance crews from reaching him to provide any help. He bled to death before transferring his body and keeping it under custody. The victim’s identity was later confirmed as ‘Abed al-Rahman Jamal Qasem (22), from Jifna village in Ramallah.

The Israeli police said in a statement that: ” the attacker came from Palestinian areas through Bab al-Qataneen in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City. He has had a knife and stabbed two Israeli police officers present in the area. The officer opened fire at him and neutralized him. He was pronounced dead later.”

This crime brings back to memory many cold-blooded murders against Palestinians by IOF, whether by targeting and killing the wounded, killing on grounds of suspicion, or killing without presence of any threat or danger to soldiers’ lives.

As these crimes continue with the full support of the Israeli government, it suggests that a high-level political office authorized these murder crimes that amount to extrajudicial execution. It is also another proof that the absence of accountability and the complicit silence of the international community encourages the occupation to commit more crimes.

PCHR demands the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to ensure Israel abidance, as a Member State, to the application of the Conventions in the occupied Palestinian territory.

PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their obligations to ensure respect to the Conventions and to take practical steps towards holing Israeli war criminals accountable by ending the impunity enjoyed by the occupation for many decades.

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