While the MAG Corps announced last week its decision to close the investigation file against commanders and officers in the case of the death of Omar As'ad, an 80-year-old Palestinian who was handcuffed and died after being detained for inspection in the village of Jaljiliya, north of Ramallah, a year and a half ago, his family says they do not intend to give up and demand the prosecution of those involved.
"We want to reopen the case, and we insist that it happen," Abu Shadi, Omar Assad's cousin, told Israel Hayom. "How is it possible and why did they suddenly announce that the case was being closed? We were surprised by the decision not to indict the soldiers, and we don't accept that. It doesn't make sense for it to end this way without them paying for what they did. It sends a message to those who come after them that it's okay to behave like this to a sick 80-year-old man, handcuff him, beat him, and throw him in the cold until he dies just because he refused to give them an ID card. What did they think he would do, what was he capable of? Everyone understands that he did not threaten the soldiers and posed no danger to anyone. They did something illegal. I say to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: They need to be tried," Abu Shadi said.
Obituary near Ammar As'ad's home, photo: Reuters
Omar As'ad, a Palestinian with American citizenship, died in January last year just hours after soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion handcuffed him during a vehicle inspection, blindfolded him, put a leash over his mouth, and abandoned him on the ground alone in a nearby building. Last week, the MAG Corps announced that those involved in the incident would not face criminal charges, and that disciplinary and command action would be taken against them. "The soldiers believed that As'ad was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and assumed that he had fallen asleep on the ground, where he had been placed. They saw no signs of distress on his part, so they assumed he was asleep and left without trying to wake him. It was found that there were failures in the conduct of those involved, who acted in a manner that did not match what was required and expected of IDF soldiers. However, no causal link was found between these failures and As'ad's death," it said.
A day after the findings were published, a White House spokesman said the US administration intended to demand further clarification from Israel regarding the death of Palestinian Omar Assad. "We expected a thorough criminal investigation and full responsibility. We are asking for more information from the Israeli government," he said.
IDF fighters' activity in Jenin (archive), photo: IDF Spokesperson/Archive
The mother of Hani, Omar As'ad's wife, said she expected a heavy punishment to be imposed on those involved in the incident that led to her husband's death. "I want them to be punished, to have a death sentence for these soldiers, or to have them in prison for many years and life imprisonment. They killed my husband for no reason, there was nothing on him, they didn't find a knife or anything on him. He didn't even know there was a checkpoint there, we live on the edge of the village, he came back from visiting relatives, they took him out of the car, dragged him and threw him away without calling for medical help," she told Israel Hayom.
"Once there is no proper punishment, it will encourage more such cases. Others must learn their lesson, and those who caused the killing of Omar As'ad must be held accountable for what they did. If Omar didn't have American citizenship, no one would even look at us. The family's lawyer is reaching out to anyone who needs it, and we hope that there will be American involvement," Abu Shadi added.
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