Special News Digest: The First Anniversary of the Armon Hanatziv Ramming Attack in Jerusalem, January 8, 2018. [1]
#0202_A_View_From_East_Jerusalem
“Today marks the first anniversary of the martyrdom of Jerusalemite Fadi Ahmad Al-Qanbar, from the town of Jabel Mukaber south of Jerusalem. The Occupation continues to detain his body in its freezers.
*A year ago today, the martyr Fadi attacked [Israeli] soldiers by ramming into them at the entrance to Jabel Mukaber, killing four.
*Occupation forces imposed a number of punishments onto his family, carrying out harsh interrogations of family members, revoking Fadi's mother Menwa Al-Qanbar's residency permit, and cancelling the family reunification applications [2] for other family members. They also canceled the healthcare plan for his four children.
*Last March Occupation forces closed off Fadi’s home with concrete.”
– Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Silwan [For full post: https://goo.gl/GaAN41]
**
A response by an East Jerusalemite on the day of the attack:
"1. This attack is definitely not like any other attack against Israeli civilians. It obviously targeted soldiers who are serving a country of a continuous occupation and misuse of power. So they [the soldiers] represent the occupation for Palestinians .
2. Most Israelis serve in the army because it's obligatory and it's really hard not to serve in the Israeli military for Israelis, but there are some few Israelis who have refused to join the military and succeeded. A solider who gets targeted can be from any unit, any political views and might be a soldier without even wanting to be.
3. As someone who opposes violence, despite my first point, I publicly stand against this attack because it's using violent means to resist the occupation.
4. I'm against promoting this attack as a part of the attacks of ISIS or as similar to these attacks in the motive. It's obviously an attack against the Israeli regime although the end result is the same: more people killed.
5. The case of Elor Azaria [3] and the case of the Israeli soldier who shot and killed Fadi Qanbar are not similar at all. Attempts to make them look similar are attempts at giving Israeli soldiers the right to misuse their power."
– Ahmed Maswade [For full post: https://goo.gl/3smZDX]
#0202_A_View_From_West_Jerusalem
"A year has passed since the attack that occurred on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade in Jerusalem, in which four soldiers were struck down during their officers' training course. The tragic murder of Lieutenant Shir Hajaj z"l [of blessed memory] left her family and friends shocked and grief-stricken. 'Everything happened so fast. In a split second, this scum of a man came and took what was most precious to us,' sobbed Merav, Shir’s mother. 'I was so optimistic on the day of the attack. Who would ever think that our lives were about to turn upside down?'
In the attack, three other officers were murdered: Second Lieutenants Erez Orbach and Shira Zur and Lieutenant Yael Yekutiel. Since the attack, Hajaj’s parents have led the campaign to prevent the return of the terrorist’s body to his family and to evict his family members from East Jerusalem."
– Channel 20 News
**
“Dear Justice Esther Hayut [4],
My name is Merav Hajaj. I am the mother of Lieutenant Shir Hajaj who was killed in the ramming attack at Armon Hanatziv in Jerusalem on January 8, 2017. I write to you as a mother, to a mother – Shir was my eldest daughter, my right hand and my pride and joy. […]
We are now before the Supreme Court’s decision regarding returning the terrorist’s corpse […] and I ask of you as a mother, to a mother: I have raised a wonderful girl to rejoice and do good in this world and then along comes a terrorist killing four excellent officers – should we grant [the corpse back] to a mother who has raised her child to hate, be evil and kill, and to a family that celebrated the attack? Should we give a burial place for her child, the terrorist? Should we give them a chance to have a victory parade, to set off fireworks, give out candy and to wildly incite the next terrorist? […]
With Thanks,
Merav Hajaj”
– Merav Hajaj's personal Facebook Page [For full post: https://goo.gl/q71NVQ]
[Selected Comment:]
– “Why should we return the terrorists’ corpses? They should give back our children because after all, Fatah has reached a reconciliation with Hamas. It’s time to do ‘a body for a body’ exchange or at the very least [the return] of a captive [5]. Those who pity the wicked, end up being cruel to the righteous.”
—-
0202 Editor's Notes:
[1] Fadi Al-Qanbar carried out a truck-ramming attack on January 8, 2017 in which four officers school cadets were killed. The attack was carried out in Armon HaNetziv, a neighborhood of Jerusalem which is near the Palestinian town of Jabel Mukaber. For a previous 0202 post about the attack, see: https://goo.gl/JS3RAK
[2] Family reunification is a legal process in which spouses and families apply for immigration to each other's countries. This is a particularly complicated issue regarding the legal status of East Jerusalemites who hold a blue Israeli ID card and have permanent residency in Jerusalem.
[3] Elor Azaria was tried in military court for shooting to death a perpetrator of a stabbing attack. His case sparked a public debate regarding military conduct. For more info, see: https://goo.gl/NysSzP.
[4] Justice Esther Hayut is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Israel. She was sworn in on October 26, 2017, and is expected to serve as Chief Justice until October 2023.
[5] The comment refers to the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, two IDF soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza War ('Operation Protective Edge') and whose bodies are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
#Jabel_Mukaber #Commemoration #Ramming_Attack #Collective_Punishment #Justice
#0202pov
Sources:
Post 1: https://goo.gl/FmkSHS
Post 2: https://goo.gl/WTtjWb
Post 3: https://goo.gl/q71NVQ
Post 4: https://goo.gl/3smZDX
Photos of Shir Hajaj: https://goo.gl/GWE2Ha
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