Israeli officials hail acquittal of killer of Palestinian disabled man

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
7 Jul 2023 17:22
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"Border Guard" Chief Amir Cohen welcomed the ruling, saying the policeman would return to the force, with Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai saying he believed the court's ruling to acquit the murderer was "right".

Iyad Al-Hallaq's mother upon learning of the Israeli occupation's decision to acquit her son's murderer, July 6, 2023, occupied Al-Quds, occupied Palestine

An Israeli occupation court acquitted the policeman who killed martyr Iyad Al-Hallaq, a Palestinian man with special needs who was killed at the hands of an Israeli police officer.

The ruling was heavily protested by Al-Hallaq's family, who demanded "justice for Iyad" and that the Israeli policeman be held accountable for his crime against the decision taken by Israeli Judge Hannah Lomb three years into the case.

Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir previously lauded the criminal police officer, calling him a "hero" and welcomed the court's decision.

Al-Hallaq was an autistic man who was on his way to school when he was brutally killed by an Israeli police officer who claimed his actions were in self-defense. It is reported that he had a black mask and gloves on in occupied Al-Quds, and he was suspected of being a "terrorist".

He stopped several times and looked behind him before the Israeli occupation forces started chasing him before murdering him in cold blood.

"Border Guard" Chief Amir Cohen welcomed the ruling, saying the policeman would return to the force, with Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai saying he believed the court's ruling to acquit the murderer was "right".

Greenlighting more crimes

The Ministry of Al-Quds Affairs said the occupation court's decision to acquit the Israeli policeman who killed Al-Hallaq was a green light for the Israeli occupation to carry out more similar crimes.

"We did not expect justice from the Israeli courts, which have always proven that they are an integral part of the occupation's system, but the decision highlighted a great decline, as it encouraged murder," the ministry said. Al-Hallaq was killed in cold blood by the occupation police, which was confirmed by local, Israeli, and international reports, the ministry added.

"The murderous policeman's killing, and even his promotion, is tantamount to a reward and encouragement to commit more killings," it added.

This decision coincided with the ninth anniversary of the kidnapping of Mohammad Abu Khudair, who was killed by burning, proving that the occupation authorities provide cover for the killers, whether they are policemen or settlers.

Legally-flawed decision

The "Mizan" Foundation for Human Rights said the Israeli judiciary "kills Iyad Al-Hallaq again," stressing that "the decision of the Central Court in Al-Quds, which acquitted the Israeli policeman who killed the martyr Iyad Al-Hallaq, is a disgrace" for the Israeli judiciary, and it is legally-flawed and lacks judicial standards.

Mizan stressed the need for the Police Investigation Unit, Mahash, to file an appeal with the Supreme Court to prosecute the criminal policeman who killed Iyad Al-Hallaq, a person with special needs, after opening fire at him and shooting him with several bullets.

"The court's justifications and pretexts for the killer's acquittal are legally flawed, as it accepted the killer's claim of imaginary self-defense, which the killer felt when he shot martyr Al-Hallaq," the statement added.

Al-Hallaq's parents expressed their anger over the unlawful ruling, with his father saying that there is "one justice [system] for Jews and another for Arabs," and his mother shouting, "You are all terrorists! My son is under the ground!"

Israeli news website Haaretz noted that the officer was previously charged with murder and his trial began last year. In February, he claimed he was convinced that Al-Hallaq was a "terrorist" who was ready to kill a woman that was later found to be the Palestinian martyr's school counselor, Warda Abu Hadid.

Abu Hadid, who was with Al-Hallaq when he was brutally murdered, stressed that she tried to protect the martyr but occupation police officers ignored her when she told them that he had special needs.