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Photo:
Scene. Published by IMEMC News

Sameh Zeyton (Photo: Haim Pereg, REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg Published by YNET and IMEMC News
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David ben Avraham (formerly Sameh Zeyton) tried for years to get citizenship from Israel, and ran into the walls of bureaucracy; In 2019, he was imprisoned by the Palestinians, beaten, and refused to recant his conversion: "I am part of the Jewish people." Today, reservists near Elazar suspected him, and when they found a knife in his bag - one of them shot him. The Israel Defense Forces is investigating, his defenses: "The soldier acted bravely"

by Elisha ben Kimon and Yoav Zeyton for YNET
3/21/24: 3:21

David ben Avraham (Samach Zeitoun), a 63-year-old Palestinian from Hebron who converted, was shot dead this morning (Thursday) by reservists at a bus stop near the Elazar settlement in Gush Etzion. According to the suspicion, one of them shot him to death after, during a search, a knife was found in his bag - which he apparently carried for self-defense only, and in any case he did not use it at the time of the shooting.

According to Noam Arnon, Zeitoun decided to join the Jewish people following the path of his grandfather - Eid El Zeitoun, who saved about 25 Jews during the 1945 riots in Hebron", he said.

"He tried again and again, to no avail. In the end, he was able to be accepted into a conversion program at Rabbi Karlitz's conversion court in Bnei Brak. After a long and thorough procedure, he passed the procedure, received permission to convert, and his name in Israel was called - David ben Avraham."

He testified that he was arrested after he converted, and was beaten during his arrest. "They put me in the government building in Hebron with other people and the guards told everyone that I had converted and that I was Jewish," he said at the time. "Every time inmates attacked me, strangled me and beat me very hard." Later, Zeyton was transferred to a dungeon, where he stayed until he was released.

Muslim clerics tried to convince Zeitoun to retract his conversion. "I did not agree in any way," he said. "I chose to be part of the Jewish people, and I have no intention of going back. I suffered a lot, they gave me bread as dry as a stone and a little potato. Not even a mouse can survive that. They didn't give me water, I fainted three times, and then they took me out of the dungeon and took me home patients".

According to Arnon, "David studied Judaism at the Meir Institute, and studied with rabbis in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. He expected to be accepted as a citizen in the State of Israel, but the Israeli authorities rejected him and ignored him. Meanwhile, the terrorists of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas abused him, imprisoned him, tortured him, harassed him and Leave him a moment of rest. He repeatedly appealed to all the Israeli authorities, but they placed a wall of ignorance and alienation in front of him. It is not enough that he did not receive Israeli citizenship (to which, as we know, every Jew is entitled - and also anyone who has undergone a conversion of any kind, and his son and grandson are not a Jew, from all over the world), but he also did not receive a permanent entry permit and the right to work in Israel, and cannot work for a living.

On the other hand, the Arabs around him also harassed him and his family, and did not allow them to live with dignity," Arnon added about Zeyton's tragic story.

"Jewish friends in Hebron, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and other places strove for him, supported him financially, and tried to help him stabilize his life, but to no avail. He lived between two worlds: the Muslim world that abused him, and the State of Israel that turned its back on him with opacity and evil indifference." .

"David ben Avraham, the rightful resident who longed to connect with the sons of Abraham our father - 'the father of the residents', fell by the wayside, without being able to fulfill his ambition," added Arnon.

In the meantime, an IDF investigation into the matter was opened, and the reserve fighter Shira was questioned under a warning. The IDF stated that "during an operational activity, an IDF force fired at a Palestinian who aroused his suspicions at Elazar Junction in the Etzion Brigade, an injury was detected and the Palestinian was later determined to be dead. Immediately upon receiving the report about the serious incident, the military attorney's office ordered the opening of an investigation by the military police."

On behalf of Capt. (resp.) Mia Katz and Lt. Yasmin Younes representing the soldier on behalf of the military defense, it was stated that "this is an outstanding soldier, who was recruited to serve in the reserves from the beginning of the war, and only recently received a badge of distinction for his heroism in thwarting the stampede attack that took place about three weeks ago in Gush Etzion." According to them, "even in the alleged incident, the soldier acted with determination and we have no doubt that the investigation will clarify the chain of events and the case will end with another badge of honor awarded to the soldier."

In another case, Muhammad al-Qatari, a Palestinian youth from the al-Amari camp near Ramallah, was also shot to death early in the morning, after participating in clashes with the IDF. Since yesterday, nine Palestinian deaths were reported throughout the West Bank: al-Qatari; al-Rai
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Israel Soldier Kills a 63 Year Old Palestinian Near Bethlehem

by IMEMC News
Mar 21 2024

An Israeli reservist soldier shot and killed a sixty-three-year-old Palestinian man, on Thursday, near the illegal “Elazar” colony, southwest of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank.

On Thursday morning, Israeli forces killed a Palestinain man near the illegal “Elazar” colony, built on expropriated Palestinian lands southwest of Bethlehem.

Media sources said that Sameh Mohammad Abd al-Ra’i Zaytoun, 63, from Hebron city, exited a Palestinian taxi at a bus station near the Israeli colony, while a reservist soldier shot him with live ammunition.

Initial reports revealed that the soldier shot the man after he “aroused suspicion”, with no mention of a stabbing attempt, and there were no reportes of injuries among Israeli forces.

The occupation army transported the martyr’s body in an Israeli ambulance after preventing Palestinian ambulance crews from approaching the scene.

The Military Advocate General reportedly ordered an investigation by the Military Police into what the military described as a “serious incident”.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the slain man had converted to Judaism and was also known by the name of David Ben Avraham, and stated that “the law does not permit using lethal force where a mere arrest would be easily possible”.

It added that “initial reports could hold them criminally liable both for performing an unwarranted search and for shooting an elderly man who objectively did not present an immediate danger.”

On Wednesday night, Israeli forces carried out a drone strike against a Palestinian vehicle, killing three young men and seriously injuring a fourth in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

The slain Palestinians were identified as Mahmoud Bassam Rahhal, 30, Ahmad Hani Barakat, and Mohammad Al-Fayed.

During a ten hour long assault against the Nur Shams refugee camp beginning on Wednesday night, Israeli forces killed four Palestinian young men, two of whom were killed when a drone fired a missile at them, and two more were shot dead later.

The slain young men were identified as Nidal Abu Obeid, Eyad Nidal Azmi Kanooh, Ahmad Marwan Mohammad Abu Ali, 22, and Abdullah Mahmoud Al-Qaisi, 20.

In the Al-Am’ari refugee camp, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, occupation forces killed Mohammad Abdul-Karim Ziad Salhiyya, 18, after shooting him with a live round in the head.

Israeli forces and colonizers have killed 446 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the Israeli military onslaught against the Gaza Strip, on October 7, 2023.
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Israeli Reserve Soldier Kills 62-year-old Palestinian Man Who Posed No Threat


The Military Police will investigate the reserve soldier, who serves in the IDF's regional defense battalion, made up of settlers recruited to protect West Bank settlements

by Hagar Shezaf and Jack Khoury for Haaretz
Mar 21, 2024 2:58 pm IST

An Israeli reserve soldier fatally shot an elderly Palestinian near the Elazar Junction in the West Bank, even though he did not pose a threat.

According to the initial investigation by the army, the man aroused the suspicion of soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint. They approached him, asked him to identify himself, and conducted a search of the bag he was carrying, in which they found a knife, according to their accounts.

The soldiers took the bag from the man, and he lowered his hands. He was then shot by one of the soldiers, who claimed that he feared the man would attack them.

The soldiers involved belong to the IDF's "regional defense" battalions [Hagmar battalions in Hebrew]. These battalions are made up of settlers who were recruited to reserve duty with the purpose of protecting the settlements in the West Bank.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the deceased is Samah Zaytoun, a 62-year-old resident of Hebron. It was also reported that Red Crescent teams were not allowed to reach him until after his death was confirmed.

The army stated that it was not an attempted attack, and added that it is investigating the details of the incident. The army added that the soldier who shot the man will be investigated by the Military Police.
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