Israel looking to speak to Palestinian shot in back, as new allegations emerge


November 12, 2019
JFJFP
Karam Qawasmi, filmed being hit by non-lethal round at checkpoint, says officers also rammed him with jeep, beat him; ministry request for interview rare, activist says

Karam Qawasmi, who was shot in the back by Israeli forces

Adam Rasgon writes in Times of Israel, “Israeli judicial officials said Monday they were seeking to speak to a young Palestinian man who was shot in the back with a sponge-tipped bullet last year by a Border Police officer. But Karam Qawasmi, 22, claimed Israeli authorities were not actually trying to reach out to him and leveled new allegations against the troops, whom he said had also hit him with their vehicle and beat him.”

“Video of Qawasmi being shot in the back as he walked away from Border Police officers emerged last week, sparking outrage. The Justice Ministry said last week that state prosecutors had completed a criminal investigation into the shooting and would soon make a final decision on whether to file charges over it. “Recently, the victim was identified and at this stage, the investigators are arranging to meet him in order to gather the available evidence,” the Justice Ministry said in an emailed statement Monday, remarking that it had previously made unsuccessful efforts to find Qawasmi, a resident of the West Bank city of Hebron.”…

“Qawasmi said Monday evening that Israeli authorities still had not contacted him, but that he would be willing to speak to them as long as they guarantee his safety. “I am ready to communicate with them, but they need to guarantee I will return home without any problems,” he told The Times of Israel in a phone interview.” (more…)

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