Israel announced today that it will not hand over the body of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hmeid, one of the founders of the Al Aqsa Martyrs militia, who died Tuesday of cancer while serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison for 20 years.
(Also: Afghanistan: the Taliban prohibit women from accessing the university)
“After assessing the situation and on the recommendation of security officials, Defense Minister Beny Gantz decided retain the body of terrorist Nasser Abu Hmeid,” reported the Ministry.
This position is taken According to the Defense Minister, “in accordance with the Cabinet’s decision to keep the bodies” of Palestinians killed in the framework of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in order to achieve the return of “the captives and disappeared”, in reference to two Israeli civilians and the bodies of two soldiers killed and held in Gaza.
According to the press, Israel feared strong clashes and a possible escalation of tension if the funeral was held. of Abu Hmeid, who died of lung cancer at the age of 50 and that triggered a general strike and mobilizations in Palestinian territory.
(Also: The details of the diplomatic crisis that broke out between Peru and Mexico)
His death was controversial: the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) accused the Israeli prison service of “medical negligence” and assured that the prisoner was not treated as he should.
Given this, the Israeli Ministry of Defense today rejected “completely the false claims” that associate Israel with the death of Abu Hmeid.
A state policy
For decades, the Israeli state has practiced a body retention policy that human rights groups and critics consider collective punishment contrary to international law.
Until today, buried in cemeteries or piled up in morgues, the bodies of around 300 dead Palestinians in clashes with Israeli forces or in the context of the conflict are still being held by Israel.
(Also read: Zelensky travels to the US to meet with Biden and give a speech in Congress)
The authorities maintain this policy based on an emergency regulation from the British Mandate era (1922-1948) that was formally validated by the Israeli Supreme Court in 2019.
According to the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), about 250 bodies have been buried for a long time in military cemeterieswhile more than a hundred more recent deaths in recent years are held in morgues.
(Keep reading: US: uncertainty reigns at the border after decision to maintain Title 42)
Abu Hmeid, who hails from a Palestinian refugee camp outside Ramallah, was arrested by Israel in 2002.
He was sentenced to seven life sentences for seven Israelis killed in various attacks he carried out or planned during the Second Intifada.
The deceased fHe was one of the founders of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigadesthe armed wing of Fatah, and was very close to Marwan Barghouti, an important Palestinian leader also imprisoned for carrying out attacks against Israelis.
There are currently about 600 sick Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails24 of them cancer patients, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING*
With information from AFP and EFE
#Israel #retain #body #wellknown #Palestinian #prisoner #died #cancer