Assasination, Israeli Style

Israelis carry out West Bank ‘execution’

By Harvey Morris in Ramallah

Published: May 30 2007 20:32 | Last updated: May 30 2007 20:32

An Israeli undercover squad shot dead an off-duty Palestinian security man at point-blank range during a daylight raid on Ramallah in what Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian information minister present at the scene, on Wednesday described as an extrajudicial execution.

Uniformed soldiers then fired into the body of Mohamed Abdul-Halim, 24, and kicked him to make sure he was dead, according to witnesses who have given statements to a local human rights organisation.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military, which did not circulate its customary written statement on the incident, said in answer to questions that the Israeli squad “identified an armed man who was posing a threat to the force and fired at him”. The spokeswoman would not say whether the dead man was a specific Israeli target.

Lieutenant Halim belonged to Force-17, an official security unit loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah president. A spokesman for the presidency said he was on leave at the time.

The witnesses said Lt. Halim was in civilian clothes, wore a holstered service weapon and was carrying an AK-47 as he left the Nazareth restaurant in the West Bank city’s main shopping street at around 5.45pm on Tuesday afternoon.

Samer Burnat, a taxi driver, said his vehicle was forced to a halt by a white van with Palestinian plates. “The rear doors burst open. There were uniformed Israeli soldiers in the back. They shouted at the man to stop but instantly opened fire as he turned away from them. They hit him once in the back of the head and once in the neck.”

He insisted Lt. Halim made no attempt to use his weapons and had his back to the Israelis when they opened fire.

Lt. Halim’s body displayed two bullet wounds to the back of the head and others to his back and rear left leg. Doctors determined he had been shot 24 times. Mr Burnat has signed an affidavit with the al-Haq human rights organisation whose Ramallah offices overlook the scene of the shooting.