The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly denounced Israel’s acquittal of a police officer responsible for the cold-blooded murder of a Palestinian autistic man in Jerusalem in May 2020 and said the International Criminal Court (ICC) should investigate this.
“There is no justice or access to justice under Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid regime,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement. “Israel, the occupying Power, and its tainted judiciary system continue to sanction war crimes and crimes against humanity against an occupied people and provide absolute immunity to its occupying forces and officers.”
The Foreign Ministry rejected what it said was “Israel’s disgraceful whitewash of the deliberate killing” of Eyad al-Hallaq, 32 years old autistic man, in occupied Jerusalem while he was on his way to a special needs school on 30 May 2020.
“Israel’s broken judiciary system is central to its apartheid regime and colonial aspirations – settler, racist, and violent, fueled by systematic discrimination and sustained by Jewish supremacy. The killing of Eyad was not ‘an honest mistake’, it was part of a pattern and a direct execution of Israel’s criminal laws and declared policies: kill Palestinians,” it said.
The Israeli District Court in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday acquitted the policeman who killed Hallaq, claiming that he “acted recklessly,” and that the killing was “a tragic mistake,” while claiming that the officer “acted in self-defense,” even though the victim did not have any weapon on him.
“Israel’s willful failure to hold its occupying forces and officers accountable for their crimes is further evidence that Israel should itself be investigated. There is no justice for Palestinians in Israeli courts,” said the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
“The Prosecutor of the ICC has a responsibility and undeniable obligation to investigate and pursue accountability for Eyad and countless other Palestinians who are victims of Israel’s culture of impunity. The Prosecutor must expedite his investigation in order to deter and prevent Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people,” it demanded.
“The warning signs are clear. Israeli officials’ public calls for the killing of ‘thousands of Palestinians’, coupled with a tainted judiciary system sanctioning these killings, and shielding occupying forces, officers, and settlers, international protection is necessary. The international community and the (UN) Secretary-General must provide international protection for the Palestinian people without any delays and excuses. The international community is responsible for the lives and well-being of the Palestinian people, immediate action, not empty words, is needed,” the Ministry concluded its statement.
Source: WAFA
