The Israeli occupation military announced on Tuesday that it would not file criminal charges against the Israeli soldiers who were involved in the murder of Omar As’ad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man who died after handcuffed and abandoned at a checkpoint in the West Bank last year.
According to the Israeli military investigation, As’ad was stopped by Israeli soldiers at an impromptu checkpoint in his hometown of Jiljilya in January 2022. The Israeli occupation forces then dragged him out of his car, bound and blindfolded him, and left him on the ground. The Israeli soldiers assumed he was asleep and did not check on him until the next morning, when they found him dead.
The Israeli occupation military said that there was no direct link between the soldiers’ actions and As’ad’s death, and that he had pre-existing medical conditions that could have caused his death. The Israeli occupation military also said that the soldiers acted according to the rules of engagement and did not use excessive force.
However, the Israeli occupation military said that the soldiers would face disciplinary measures for their conduct, which was deemed “unprofessional and inappropriate”. Two commanders would be dismissed and barred from serving in senior positions for two years, and one of them would also be “reprimanded.”
As’ad’s family and human rights groups have condemned the Israeli occupation’s decision, saying that it reflects a pattern of impunity for Israeli soldiers who kill or harm Palestinians. They have called for an independent and transparent investigation into As’ad’s death, which they say was a result of torture and neglect.
As’ad was a U.S. citizen who had moved back to his native village after retiring from his job as an engineer in Virginia. He had six children and 15 grandchildren. His brother Nawaf As’ad said that he was a peaceful and gentle man who loved his family and his land.
“He was killed by the occupation that he hated so much,” Nawaf As’ad said. “He deserved justice, not this mockery.”
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