Under Israel's Jewish regime Palestinians are not even guaranteed the right to mourn

Flip_flop_politics
Published on Jul 28, 2022
On 13 May 2022, Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was killed two days earlier in Jenin Refugee Camp, was laid to rest in East Jerusalem. During the funeral, Israel Police and Border Police officers beat the pallbearers and other attendees. Footage of this violence was shared around the world, drawing harsh reactions and strong criticism. Official Israel, however, remained unphased. According to media reports, an investigation ordered by the Israel Police commissioner was launched with a promise of no prosecutions and no disciplinary action against any of the persons involved.

Since then, Bâ€™Tselem has documented three more funerals of Palestinians in which soldiers and police officers assaulted attendees, preventing them from bringing the deceased to burial on their own terms and holding a respectful burial ceremony: the funeral of Walid a-Sharif (23), held on 16 May 2022 in East Jerusalem; the funeral of Ghufran Warasnah (30), held on 1 June 2022 in al-â€˜Arrub R.C.; and the funeral of Nayfeh a-Tous, held on 1 July 2022 in Beit Ummar. Video footage and testimonies that participants gave Bâ€™Tselem field researchers indicate the forces attacked attendees with clubs, tear gas canisters, stun grenades and sponge rounds.

The Israeli violence during the four funerals is not an aberration, and Bâ€™Tselem has documented similar cases in the past. These incidents represent one aspect of the apartheid regimeâ€™s official policy toward grieving Palestinians. Another, for example, is holding on to the bodies of Palestinians with the Supreme Courtâ€™s approval. Currently, Israel is holding 103 bodies of Palestinians, including nine minors, and is preventing their families from parting with their loved ones and bringing them to burial. Another example is the standard practice of denying permits to enter Israel from individuals whose relatives have been killed by soldiers or police officers.

To justify this conduct, Israel says it holds Palestinian bodies as it needs them for bargaining chips in future negotiations, and that denying the permits is necessary due to fear of revenge. But these are no more than a feeble cover for a cruel policy of collective punishment, which causes immense harm to families that have just lost their loved ones. These claims reveal yet another aspect of the apartheid regime: defenseless in death as they are in life, Palestinians are not even guaranteed the right to mourn.

:Read more
https://www.btselem.org/video/20220724_palestinians_not_even_allowed_to_mourn

More on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
https://www.btselem.org/firearms/20220721_killing_of_shireen_abu_akleh