Israel
kills Palestinian after month-long manhunt
by Linah Alsaafin
After a manhunt that lasted almost a month, Israeli forces
have announced that they assassinated a Palestinian man suspected of being
behind the killing of a Jewish settler last January.
Ahmad Jarrar, 22, went into hiding after Raziel Shevah was
killed in a drive-by shooting near an illegal settlement in the occupied West
Bank city of Nablus.
Before dawn on Tuesday, Ahmad was found by Israeli forces,
which included the Shabak intelligence and elite units, in the village of
Yamoun, some nine kilometres from his hometown of Jenin.
According to Israeli sources, security forces ordered Ahmad
to come out of a building at around 3am (01:00 GMT). He allegedly emerged armed
with an M-16 rifle and hand grenades, and was immediately hit with a barrage of
bullets which resulted in his death.
His death was confirmed by the governor of Jenin on Tuesday
morning.
"We received the news from Palestinian officials who
work in the security coordination office," Kamal Abu al-Rob, the deputy
governor of Jenin told Al Jazeera.
"A number of his family members went to the site of his
death, and were permitted by Israel to collect Jarrar's bloodied clothes and a
small Quran that were inside the building he allegedly was in," he said.
A picture circulated on social media reportedly of Jarrar
showed him displayed in the mud, with a bloodied face and magazine clips around
him.
Amer Jarrar, Ahmad's cousin, arrived at the scene and was
disturbed by what he saw.
"The building is an old small storage room that was
destroyed on the outside," he said to Al Jazeera. "It was like the
Israelis used a bulldozer to demolish parts of it because they didn't want to
get too close to it."
"We saw the bloodied clothes," he continued.
"They were still dripping with blood. But when we found the Quran, which
has an inscription to Ahmad from his mother, we knew it was him."
Ahmad's body was taken by Israeli forces, who have a policy
of seizing bodies – a practice condemned by international law.
Protests broke out in Yamoun as hundreds of Palestinians
confronted Israeli forces, who are reportedly using live ammunition resulting
in at least eight injuries, including one in the head.
His family in the village of Wadi Burqin, just outside of
Jenin, announced his death and opened a funeral home.
Jarrar was seven years old when his father, the Hamas leader
Nasr Jarrar, was killed by Israeli forces during the second Intifada in August
2002.
Ahmad graduated from the American University of Jenin with a
marketing degree, and according to Amer, had a large circle of friends and was
well loved.
"We learned of his death this morning from the Israeli
media," he said. "We are stunned. None of us had any idea about his
whereabouts."
A day of mourning was declared in Jenin, as schools and
shops shut down.
'Pride of
Palestine'
The pursuit of Ahmad Jarrar resulted in almost daily raids
of various towns and villages in the West Bank. On January 18, his cousin,
Ahmad Ismail Jarrar, was killed after a 10-hour military operation in Wadi
Burqin. Three houses belonging to the Jarrar family were also demolished.
On Sunday, the village was raided again, and a 19-year-old
Palestinian was shot in the head and killed. Residents reported that the
Israeli forces used loudspeakers to call out, "Ahmad Jarrar, turn yourself
in or we will demolish the village house by house."
On Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman
tweeted his praise of Israeli forces.
"The score has been settled," he said. "We appreciate
and salute the security forces who in a complex operation and with courage
fought for our security this morning."
"The state of Israel will never surrender to terrorism
and will get to the last of the accomplices for the safety of our
citizens."
In a statement, the Hamas movement paid tribute to Jarrar
and called him "the pride of Palestine".
"We will continue the path of resistance until the
Israeli occupation is defeated from every inch of our land," the statement
said.
"We call upon the resistance of our people in the
occupied West Bank to respond to the Israeli assassination of Jarrar and to
target Israeli soldiers and settlers."
The leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) faction echoed Hamas and described Jarrar as an "influential
national symbol" that Palestinians will be proud of.
"His spirit will remain a beacon and a guide for all
fighters who have followed the path of resistance, and his blood will curse all
those who have resorted to the policy of security coordination," the group
said.
Response:
Author’s Bias: based on the strong language towards the Israelites,
it is clear to see that the author is against the Israelis because the author
is highly against the Israelites for killing the Palestinians.
Targeted audience: the targeted audience in this article is
for the Palestinians, Palestinians that are of voting age and are interested in
the affairs of their own country. Because often you want to know why your
country is in trouble.
Personal Bias: when looking at the title my gut reaction is
to go against the Israelites, simply because the murdered/killed people, even
if it was for a good cause, I am not really aware of the Israel-Palestine
situation, but I would be for Palestine, since they were not going after people
to kill.
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