The killing of a Palestinian by an Israeli soldier in broad daylight in the occupied West Bank has sparked widespread anger among Palestinians, who have called on social media for an escalation in resistance actions against the Israeli occupation.
The final moments of Ammar Mufleh, 23, were captured on video by an unidentified Palestinian man on Friday. Footage shows Mufleh being held in a headlock by an Israeli soldier while two other men try to wrestle him away. Mufleh then appears to punch the soldier and try to grab his rifle before the soldier pulls out a pistol and shoots him multiple times as he falls to the ground.
Immediately afterwards, Israeli troops took away Mufleh’s body and refused him a burial – a cunning tactic of humiliation and control against Palestinians who are being shot dead by Israeli forces. Clashes erupted in the city, injuring several Palestinians, local media reported.
The incident took place in the occupied West Bank city of Huwara, south of Nablus, which went on strike the following day in protest at Mufleh’s killing.
A quick close-up analysis breaks that down #Israeli Narration by A #Palestinian Assault and attempt to steal an Israeli soldier’s weapon:
Ammar Mufleh, 22, was completely unarmed and attempted to escape from a soldier’s stranglehold for his life before being executed in cold blood!🧵 pic.twitter.com/MDy456apzF
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) December 2, 2022
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the shooting as tantamount to an execution intended to escalate the already mounting violence in the occupied territories.
Palestinian activists and social media users used the hashtag “Huwara Execution” in Arabic, demanding a response to Israel’s crimes.
Abdelrahim al-Sheikh, a lecturer at Birzeit University, wrote on Facebook: “There is no other choice for the Palestinian who got out of this country than to defend himself against the country’s terrorism [Israeli] occupiers.”
A statement by the Lions’ Den, a Palestinian multi-factional armed group, called on people to block the streets and take to the streets in protest.
The group said it conducted “shooting operations” at Israeli targets near Nablus after midnight and fired on an Israeli military post on Mount Gerizim.
“We call on our brothers, the factions’ fighters, to close ranks and gather our arms to avenge the blood of the martyrs,” their statement said.
I’m always amazed at how unnoticed the killing of Palestinians goes #Israel is… 10 Palestinians killed in 72 hours. 10…. did not make headlines in the mainstream media.
— Abier (@abierkhatib) December 2, 2022
Radwan al-Akhras, a Palestinian writer, pointed out that this is the 10th Palestinian killed by Israel in 10 days and said that these are not just statistics, but people, families and loved ones, had hopes and dreams.
“The scene of the cold-blooded execution of Palestinian youth #The Israeli soldier’s “Ammar_Mufleh” is one of the most difficult scenes I have seen in my life Twitter.
Rising tensions have made 2022 the deadliest year since the end of the second intifada in 2005, with at least 207 Palestinians killed in the occupied territories of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“New Fascism”
For its part, Israel Police said in a statement that their border guards were approached by several suspects when one “pulled a knife and stabbed one of them.”
The guards “reacted by shooting and neutralizing a suspect,” the statement said, adding that one of the guards suffered minor injuries.
The Palestinians rejected this version of events, saying Mufleh was unarmed and the alleged murder weapon had not been found.
No knife. No “stab”. Cynical attempt to justify the ugly execution we’ve all seen documented on video.
Ammar banged his fist on the settler’s car before the settler shot him, then he was simply executed by a soldier.
The 🇮🇱settler apartheid and terror regime is thriving in the occupied West Bank.
— Jalal (@JalalAK_jojo) December 2, 2022
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said the Israeli occupying forces executed Mufleh in front of the whole world and was a clear sign of the “new fascism” in Israel.
“This documented and clear crime requires that the International Criminal Court bring the occupying soldiers to justice and stop dealing with the occupation as a state above the law,” Majdalani added.
The PLO’s human rights body said that due to the right-most Israeli government’s new aggressive policy towards the Palestinians, there are changes in the firing instructions and behavior of Israeli forces in the occupied territories that “herald a new stage in the conflict.”
Palestinians and lawyers fear more aggressive policies under Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, who cobbled together Israel’s most far-right cabinet.
Netanyahu has brought into his cabinet Bezalel Smotrich, who opposes Palestinian statehood, and Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right anti-Palestinian religious settler.
Ben-Gvir, a settler from Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank, was found guilty of inciting racism, destroying property, possessing propaganda material belonging to a “terrorist” organization and supporting a “terrorist” organization. Ben-Gvir also wants to expel “disloyal” Palestinian citizens of Israel.
The extreme right-wing Religious Zionism Party led by Smotrich supports settlement building in the occupied territories. The party will have authority over Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank under the Netanyahu government.
The International Human Rights Foundation called on the international community to take sanctions against Israel.
“The police execution of young Palestinian Ammar Mufleh must not go unpunished,” the foundation tweeted.
“Such attacks by Israeli state agents are too frequent and constitute a clear violation of human rights. The international community must adopt sanctions.”
#Palestine🇵🇸 The police execution of the young Palestinian Ammar Mufleh must not go unpunished. Such attacks by Israeli state agents are too frequent and constitute a clear violation of human rights. The international community must adopt sanctions. #nablus #Westbank
— International Foundation for Human Rights (@Declaracion) December 2, 2022
Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Middle East envoy, said he was appalled by the killing.
“Such incidents must be fully and promptly investigated and those responsible held accountable,” he tweeted.
Appalled at the killing today of a Palestinian, Ammar Mifleh, during a scuffle with an Israeli soldier near Huwarra on the Upper West Bank. My heartfelt condolences to his grieving family. Such incidents must be fully and promptly investigated and those responsible held accountable.
— Tor Wennesland (@Twennesland) December 2, 2022
Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry said Mufleh’s death “deserves a global response, but the daily crimes of the criminal Zionist regime are not being condemned by human rights defenders, nor is a committee of inquiry established into these crimes.”