Birzeit Student Executed in Ramallah

Right to Education Campaign, Right to Education Campaign, 30 May 2007

On 29 May 2007, the 22 year old student sociology student, Omar Abu Daher, was summarily executed by the Israel forces on Rukab St., the main high street of Ramallah. He was in his 4th year of study.

At around 5:40pm, Omar finished his lunch at the popular Nazareth falafel restaurant when a blacked-out white van stopped in front of the restaurant. Omar’s friend who works at the restaurant said that Omar recognized the van as an undercover operation by the Israeli musta’arabeen (Arab-looking intelligence officers) who usually enter Ramallah in such vehicles. Omar left the restaurant and began to walk down the road in opposite direction to the parked van.

The plain-clothed Israeli officers jumped out of the van and Omar began to run away. They shot him on his legs and back forcing him to fall over. Ilias Hreesh, the owner of store directly opposite where Omar fell over, said he saw everything clearly:

“He was alive when about 8 soldiers wearing civilian clothes reached him. One of them shot him directly in the head from zero distance. They then left him bleeding for 30 mins and prevented any help from reaching him.”

The soldiers could have easily arrested him had they wanted to do so. Instead, they carried out an extrajudicial execution, illegal under international and human rights laws.

In the aftermath, it turned out that Omar worked for the Presidential Guard and the undercover officers had not come for him.

Yet another innocent life lost while the blanket of impunity under which Israel operates remains intact.

* Watch footage by medical staff and journalists who arrived on the scene.
WARNING: some may find these images disturbing.