The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today condemned the Israeli prosecution’s decision to close the investigation into the death of the elderly Palestinian-American Omar Abdel-Majid Asaad, from the village of Jaljilia, north of Ramallah, and to suffice with some disciplinary measures and reprimands against the soldiers involved in his killing, describing the decision as a crime and calling on the US administration to investigate this matter.
The Foreign Ministry considered, in a press statement, that closing the file of this crime “is an extension of an official Israeli policy followed by the Israeli prosecution, courts, and investigation committees formed by the occupying state to mislead countries, the international community, and global public opinion to give the impression that there are Israeli investigations into the ongoing crimes committed by the occupation army, which often end with the acquittal of the perpetrators, the concealment of evidence, and the provision of escape doors for political and military officials who give instructions to facilitate the killing of Palestinians.”
It said that “this issue proves once again that the so-called judiciary system, prosecution and courts in Israel are an integral part of the occupation system, bearing in mind that the majority of crimes are ignored and no investigations are conducted on their circumstances.”
The Ministry called on the US administration to investigate this crime, given that Asaad is an American citizen, stressing that the State of Palestine is fully prepared to cooperate with any American investigations to uncover the killers and hold them accountable.
It also called on the International Criminal Court to speed up its investigations into the crimes of the Israeli occupation in order to hold accountable and prosecute Israeli war criminals and those behind them.
Asaad, 80, died of a heart attack in the early hours of January 12, 2022, after soldiers stopped his car outside his village, pulled him out of the car, blindfolded and handcuffed him, dragged him for several meters, and left him in a room on the floor on a cold night along with four other people detained that same night.
After the soldiers left the area several hours later, residents came searching for him and found him dead at the location where he was held and mistreated by the soldiers, who left him there knowing that he was dead.
The Israeli military prosecution decided yesterday to close the file of the investigation into Asaad’s death without holding any of the soldiers responsible.
