From The Electronic Intifada
Ali Abunimah Rights and Accountability 4 October 2015
This article contains graphic images of violence
Amid increasing violence in occupied Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, Israeli forces executed a Palestinian youth in cold blood early on Sunday morning.
Israeli forces have declared that the Old City of Jerusalem will be open only to Jews and foreign tourists for the next 48 hours. No Palestinians except residents will be allowed in.
In a further escalation, Naftali Bennett, the Israeli education minister who openly boasts about how many Arabs he has killed, announced he plans to spend Sunday night’s Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah in the Old City.
Bennett heads the Habeyit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) party whose senior member, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, has openly called for genocide of Palestinians.
Execution
Israeli authorities claimed that 19-year-old Fadi Samir Alloun was killed while attempting to carry out a stabbing attack.
But videos posted online show that the youth was executed in cold blood as he was chased by a mob of Israeli Jews baying for his blood.
As the video above begins, voices can be heard in Hebrew shouting – apparently at police – “Shoot him! He’s a terrorist! Shoot him!” and “Don’t wait! Shoot him!”
Alloun can be seen backing away from the mob, along the tracks of the Jerusalem Light Rail.
The lights of a police car can then be seen and the sound of seven gunshots heard. Alloun falls to the ground. At no time in the video was he any threat to anyone.
Wattan TV says the killing occurred in the Musrara area, just outside the walls of the Old City, near the Damascus Gate.
Kill first, ask questions later
A police officer – apparently the shooter – can be seen approaching Alloun. Meanwhile celebratory voices are heard shouting “Yes! Yes! Son of a bitch!” and “Wow!” and “He’s an Arab!” “
Death to the Arabs!” others shout.
A police officer then asks, “Where are the injured?” This suggests that the police shot first and only asked questions afterwards. It was a cold-blooded execution at the behest of a lynch mob.
This is confirmed by this second video of the same incident published by Alkhaleej Online.
It shows the mob clearly inciting for Alloun to be killed as they chase him. The Palestinian youth is trying to escape.
After police shoot him dead, an officer can be heard asking one of the mob, “Did he stab anyone?”
The Israeli youth answers that Alloun did not.
Violence
The execution of Alloun comes as Israel escalates its violent attacks on Palestinians in the wake of recent killings of settlers in Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank.
On Thursday, two settlers were killed in a drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank.
On Saturday, 19-year-old Palestinian Muhannad Halabi fatally stabbed two Israelis in the Old City of Jerusalem. Nehamia Lavi, 41, was a rabbi in the Israeli army and Aaron Benita, 21, was a combat soldier. Lavi lived in occupied East Jerusalem and Bennett in the West Bank settlement of Beitar Illit.
Palestinian and Israeli media have reported a sharp escalation in attacks on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in recent days.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society declared a “state of emergency” on Sunday throughout the West Bank following the upsurge of attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
The society said it had faced 14 attacks against its medical staff and ambulances over the past 72 hours.
In Burin village, in the northern West Bank, Palestinians had to defend their homes after Israeli settlers set fire to trees and plants in the village and threw stones and bottles at residents, Ma’an News Agency reported.
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