Description

Photo:
Bilal Adnan Rawajba, 29. Published by IMEMC News and Haaretz

Israeli security forces secure the scene of an incident at the Hawara checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Nablus, November 4, 2020.
Credit: Majdi Mohammed,AP
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by IMEMC News
Nov 4, 2020

Updated: The slain Palestinian has been officially identified as Bilal Adnan Rawajba, 29, a married father of an infant girl, only three months of age. He is from Iraq at-Tayeh village, east of Nablus, in northern West Bank.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers prevented Palestinian medics from approaching the vehicle he was driving, despite his serious wounds, and he bled to death.

It is worth mentioning that Bilal was a captain, working as a legal Counselor with the Palestinian Preventative Security Department in the Tubas governorate, in northeastern West Bank.

He was shot, on Wednesday morning, near Huwwara military roadblock, south of Nablus.

The Maan News Agency published a photo from the incident showing the Palestinian still in the driver seat when he was shot by the soldiers who fired a barrage of live rounds at him.

Several shots, fired by the soldiers, could be heard in a video captured by a Palestinian while waiting in a car near the roadblock.

In a brief statement, the Israeli army said its soldiers foiled what it described as “an attempted shooting attack” by “neutralizing the attacker,” and added that no soldiers were hurt.

In addition, Israeli daily Haaretz quoted the army claiming the Palestinian fired two shots at the soldiers before they fired back and killed him.

The army closed the military roadblock after the incident, preventing the Palestinians from crossing.

— First Published on Nov 4, 2020, at 11:46

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Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Security Officer Who Fired at Them, Army Says

Palestinian Authority calls on international community to investigate 'extrajudicial execution' of captain in its forces near West Bank city of Nablus

by Yaniv Kubovich, Hagar Shezaf and Jack Khoury for Haaretz
Published on 04.11.2020

Israeli soldiers killed an officer of the Palestinian security forces Wednesday after the latter shot at the soldiers near the West Bank city of Nablus, according to an army statement,

According to a preliminary army investigation, the man drove by a military post on the road leading to the regional military headquarters and fired two shots at the soldiers, who returned fire and shot the man dead. No Israeli soldiers were injured.

The man was identified as Captain Bilal Rawajiba, 29, a legal advisor to the Palestinian security forces in the region of Tubas, in the northeastern West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority called the incident an "extrajudicial execution" and said the Israeli army prevented ambulances from reaching Rawajiba. It called on the international community to intervene and bring those responsible to justice. It also urged the International Criminal Court in The Hague to launch an investigation into Israel's alleged war crimes against the Palestinians.

Findings of the preliminary army investigation strengthen the assessments of Israeli security officials that the motive for the attempted attack is the officer’s financial distress.

For over a year, Palestinian security officers have received only half their salaries because of a dispute with Israel over tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the PA. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to accept from Israel the tax monies as long as Israel continues to deduct the PA's spending on stipends to imprisoned Palestinians and their families.

According to Israeli assessments, senior Palestinian security officials view Abbas’ decision to end the PA's security cooperation with Israel in May as a step that has not proved itself, having harmed the Palestinian security apparatus more than it has provided leverage on Israel.