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Death of Omar Assad

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Omar Assad (aka Omar As'ad) was a 78-year-old American man who died on 12 January 2022 in the custody of Israeli forces. He was detained by troops from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion at a checkpoint at the village of Jilijliya, north of Ramallah. He was handcuffed, gagged and forced to lie on his stomach for between 20 minutes and an hour, dying from a stress-induced cardiac arrest.[1][2] U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said U.S. officials requested "clarification" of events from Israel, saying "We support a thorough investigation into the circumstances." The Israeli authorities announced an investigation. [3][4] An army report called the incident a "moral failure and poor decision-making."[5][6][7]

Subsequently, the U.S. State Department showed particular interest in the Netzah Yehuda battalion. Hady Amr, the administration's point person on Israel-Palestine, visited Assad's family and the U.S. Embassy in Israel was asked to prepare a report on the battalion.[8][3]

On 9 October, Israel's defense ministry said it would pay the family of the deceased 500,000 shekels (US$141,000)[9] On 16 October, the family of the deceased said they rejected compensation offered in return for dismissing a lawsuit they had submitted before US and Israeli courts.[10]

On 10 November 2022, the Israeli military's legal authority said it was preparing to indict two officers, one who commanded the force at the checkpoint and another in charge of guarding detainees.[11] At the end of November, Israel announced that the Netzah Yehuda battalion would be moved from the West Bank to the Golan Heights but denied that this was related to controversial incidents over the past year including the death of Assad.[12]

In June 2023, the Israeli military announced that soldiers involved in the detention of Omar Assad would be punished but not charged. The military advocate general said there would be no criminal prosecution because a military medic had found it impossible to determine that Omar Assad's death was caused specifically by the soldiers' conduct.[13][14][15] Following the Israeli announcement, the United States said that it was seeking more information from the Israeli government about the decision.[16]

In 2024, it was reported that the Biden administration was considering imposing sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion for its violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people, but in August of this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced he ultimately decided to hold off any such action on the grounds that the battalion's problems had allegedly been remedied.[17] Relatives and acquaintances of Assad have voiced outrage at the US decision, which they see as evidence of double standards and that the US government treats Palestinian lives as disposable.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Abdulrahim, Raja (20 January 2022). "Palestinian American Died Handcuffed in Israeli Custody, Witnesses Say" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ "Autopsy finds Palestinian American man died of heart attack after being bound and gagged by Israeli soldiers". The Washington Post. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Examining Allegations Against Israel's Orthodox West Bank Battalion" – via Haaretz.
  4. ^ "Elderly American dies after Israeli soldiers detain him in West Bank". The Washington Post. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Summary of the IDF Commanders' Investigation regarding the death of Mr. Omar al-Majed Assad in the village of Jiljilya". Israel Defense Forces. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  6. ^ Kubovich, Yaniv (31 January 2022). "Death of 80-year-old Palestinian Was 'Moral Lapse,' Israeli Military Report Says". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  7. ^ Krauss, Joseph; Richmond, Todd; Kellman, Laurie; Lee, Matt (1 February 2022). "Israel punishes officers in death of Palestinian-American". AP News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Their Palestinian-American Father Was Left to Die by Israeli Soldiers. Now They Seek Justice" – via Haaretz.
  9. ^ "Israel to pay family of dead Palestinian American detainee". www.aljazeera.com.
  10. ^ "Family of elderly who died in Israeli detention reject compensation". WAFA.
  11. ^ "Israel readies indictments in death of Palestinian-American". AP NEWS. 10 November 2022.
  12. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "Religious unit with reputation of rights abuses to exit West Bank for first time". www.timesofisrael.com.
  13. ^ "Israeli troops will not face criminal charges over Palestinian-American's death". BBC.
  14. ^ "Israeli soldiers will not face criminal charges in death of elderly Palestinian-American". AP NEWS. 13 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Israeli Soldiers Who Bound, Gagged 80-year-old Palestinian American Before He Died Won't Be Charged" – via Haaretz.
  16. ^ "U.S. Seeks Info From Israel After Soldiers Involved in Elderly Palestinian-American's Death Evade Criminal Charges" – via Haaretz.
  17. ^ a b "Omar Assad's family says 'unjust' US decision will not end push for justice". Al Jazeera. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
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