Ziad al-Jilani's sister Iman sent along the picture of her brother and his youngest daughter, Yasmeen, 7, above, and the following letter containing the latest details on what the al-Jilani family believes to be the circumstances of the 40-year-old man's killing on Friday night in Jerusalem-- an everyday Palestinian story that is getting wide attention in the wake of the flotilla raid:
My brother told his wife in the morning that he will go do his prayers at Al-Aqsa and after that he will visit his uncle and cousins before he comes back to take his American wife and three beautiful daughters to dinner. He did his Friday prayers and was on his way to visit his uncle in Wadi Al Jouz [in East Jerusalem]. He was surprised as he turned into a small street that there was a checkpoint and a confrontation between stone throwers and the Israeli special forces. His car was being hit with stones, and everybody thinks his car went out of control while he was avoiding the confrontation. No body knows if he hit anybody or not while his car went out of control, but all of a sudden one of the policeman shouted that he was trying to kill them and they started shooting at him in the car.
He was shot in the arm already when he got out of the car and he was trying to avoid more shots to himself so he started running towards my uncle’s house. He was shot in the back and leg and fell on the ground shouting asking for help from my cousins and others. People tried to come help him but they were beaten with bats and would not let anybody near him. My brother was still alive but flat on the floor and totally unarmed but one of the policeman came with rage and came close by and put the gun in my brothers head and shot him point blank in the face twice and another in the belly.
My cousin came at that time and realized it was my brother and he went running to him to try to save him since he was still breathing. The same policeman came and hit him in the head with his rifle and busted his head open. He then pointed the gun on his head wanting to shoot him too but his mom and other women intercepted and got beaten up with bats. My brother was still breathing and the ambulance was trying to get to him but the policemen just left him on the floor to die and would not allow anybody to help him. The policeman that killed my brother supposedly rejoiced killing an Arab and the others gave him a pat on the back and clapped for him. Finally the Red Crescent did not listen to the Special Forces and decided to risk it and go help my brother. My brother was on the ground for 15 minutes which could have saved his life if he got immediate medical attention. My brother died in the ambulance in my cousin's arms.
i’m already crying from another post, from another memory of palestine and now this. it’s just so unbearable sometimes reflecting on all the suffering and personal pain. how long can this go on with peoples lives ripped apart so thoughtlessly, less respect for life is unimaginable.
i just want to scream and pull my hair out. tears just tears.
I feel exactly like you.
Wow, that’s powerful.
The shooter will probably get a medal.
terrible story. I can’t imagine the anger felt.
Yea but he wasn’t a ‘peaceful’ driver – peaceful as defined by hophmi and all other Zionist fascists. I mean, he drove erratically and tried to run over the brave, noble, Jewish, soldiers. That’ why he’s dead. What a terrorist. Just look at him.
I can only conclude one thing. These are the acts of animals, and I apologize to all the animals of the world for this analogy.
Zionists in Israel and around the world pretend to have their hands clean while these thugs do their dirty work for them.
Jews everywhere need to divorce themselves from this hateful ideology.
The powerful get to brutalize human beings behind a modicum of civility through oppressive LAWS and immoral policies (Brad Sherman, Avigdor Lieberman, Chuck, Wexler and the rest of the gang). Meanwhile, the weak have to fight for their lives with their bear fists and hands.
That’s what Zionist “civility” comes down to.
witty seems to have left the building..
“These are the acts of animals,”
Even animals wouldn’t kill for the pleasure of it.These are not animals , they’re genetically modified thugs of the worst order . This story managed to make it out , imagine all the other stories still waiting to be told , and others that were never told.
My deepest sympathy and outrage for ZIAD’s family.
This is what our $3 billion per year buys. That plus a lot of vicious lying from our Senators and Congressman.
Imagine if that photo and his story was put on the front page of the NY Times, or taken up by any talking head on network or cable TV News…
OTH imagine if Obama died and Beiden became POTUS:
link to counterpunch.org
“what’s the big deal?”
joe biden
No space in the Times to cover this.
Instead, we have a full page of Isabel Kershner shedding her Nazi tears for THIS creep:
link to nytimes.com
hrmmm – do we actually know he’s a creep? Other than the fact that no moral person would take such a job?
dj, not only does Kershner discuss the details of this Israeli police officer’s death (did you notice there was no indication whether the assailant was Jew or Arab?) but she takes the opportunity to review all the violent Arab-on-Jew incidents in the West Bank over the past few months. Meanwhile, not a peep in the paper about this horrific murder, and if there were, can you imagine the Times reviewing recent similar incidents?
Kershner also states no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, despite both Haaretz and Ma’an reporting that Al Aqsa Brigade have done so, saying the attack was a response to the killings on the Mavi Marmarma.
‘Hebron: Al-Aqsa brigades opened fire over flotilla raid’
link to maannews.net
Haaretz are now suggesting Al Aqsa Brigade may not be responsible and are subtly trying to pin it on Hamas..
‘Does Palestinian group ‘behind’ West Bank shooting actually exist?’
link to haaretz.com
Kershner does mention that a stone-throwing Palestinian was shot by a settler (isn’t this murder? has there been a trial?) but ignores other incidents like the killing of non-violent protestors and the more than 90 Gazans killed by the IDF since the end of the Gaza Massacre, including a few months ago an old farmer 70+ years of age.
I guess that’s the standard reporting pattern: Palestinian violence is always random & causeless, and Israeli violence isn’t violence at all, just “no choice” self-defence.
Did NYT name those killed on the Mavi Marmara? Did they name the 255 Gazan policemen killed during the 22 day blitzkrieg?
FWIW, not sure how I missed it, but Kershner did have a short report on June 11 on Jilani’s death, giving only the Israeli account, while mentioning that the circumstances remained unclear.
link to nytimes.com
I missed the Times article as well, searching for it under an alternative spelling. Look at the haaretz photograph of the aftermath of the killing in Sumud’s comment, with dozens of uniformed people investigating the crime scene, taking seriously the death of a human being. I wonder what the crime scene looked like after Julani’s death.
this makes me question my views on a one state solution…would any sane, rational human being want to share a country or even a planet with the THINGS that did this? not animals…things.
I get your point but people are people, not animals – even if their actions are disgusting. It’s the attitude of some Israelis that Palestinians are sub-human, makes killing them so much easier I guess. Be enraged, but don’t adopt their attitudes.
“It’s the attitude of some Israelis that Palestinians are sub-human, makes killing them so much easier I guess. ”
Sorry Sumud..There’s no “some Israelis”..Most if not the overwhelming majority share this mind set..Expressing disgust in its absoluteness hasn’t as much to do with rage as it has to do with awakening to the reality of the beast..All the indicators are pointing in that direction. How much more is needed?
TGIA, Sumud’s point of view is just plain common sense and decency. I don’t think it’s helpful for you and “the pair” to dehumanize Israelis.
Said the guy who lived a sheltered life in NY.
Avi
Yup
TGIA ~ OK, so the overwhelming majority of Israelis think of Palestinians as sub-human. Is this an admirable trait? Do we (those who support the Palestinian cause) have a moral leg to stand on if we adopt the same repulsive patterns of thinking that have enabled 60+ years of mistreatment of Palestinians?
I stand w/ Palestinians because their struggle for independence is just and moral, not because I hate Israelis or jews. I hate their behaviour. I won’t lower myself by aping their tribal mentality.
Perhaps, Sumud, but even compassion and empathy must give way to self defense and the defense of others. Israelis themselves are declaring war on, essentially, modern post-WWII standards of international law and human decency.
I don’t have to hate the person who murders child after child after child… but I am still morally obligated to stop them. With lethal force, if the murderer cannot be reasoned with or subdued.
Sumud, once again, I have to concur strongly with your common decency, although as a guy who has lived a sheltered life in NY (admittedly true) and a possible MI6 agent (cannot confirm or deny), my opinion that Israeli Jews should not be considered subhuman is of marginal value. I am quite sure that a lot of commenters and non-commenting readers of this blog agree with you, but unfortunately it is necessary for you to provide a welcome counterweight to the unfortunate direction a minority of commenters take.
You should read chapter one of Paolo Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
“this makes me question my views on a one state solution…would any sane, rational human being want to share a country or even a planet with the THINGS that did this? not animals…things.”
Hey! I could have written that! Using the exact same words! They shouldn’t be referred to as he or she but “it”..
I don’t expect Zionist Jews to view non-Jews and especially Palestinians as human beings. This kind of violence is normal, everyday stuff for them. They get medals for this.
My deepest condolences, Mr. Al-Jilani, to you and the entire family.
Every time I see the photograph of Ziad al-Jilani with his daughter Yasmeen posted in this piece I get angry with myself because there is nothing I can think of to say that could possibly be adequate to what happened to this family. Grotesque crimes like that happens just about every day in Palestine. Or maybe several times a day, I don’t know.
I feel very sad after reading this. I wish you, your family members and everyone else who loved this man all the strength to deal with this tragic and needless loss of life. My heart goes out to all of you. May the scumbag that murdered him soon get what he deserves.
All that is missing in Israel now is hoods and lynchings, oh, they do have the modern version of lynchings and there is no need for the hoods. The hoods weren’t really necessary in the old Confederacy either the just made it easier for the authorities to not be able to prosecute. Not that they were so inclined. So too are then not so inclined in Israel.