Palestinian Mourn Elderly Activist Run Over by Israeli Police Truck
Palestinian mourners carried Tuesday the body of Suleiman Hathaleen, during his funeral in the West Bank Bedouin village of Um el-Kheir, south of Hebron.
Suleiman was wounded early this month when an Israeli army vehicle hit him, and succumbed to his wounds Monday at a West Bank hospital.
The 69-year-old Palestinian activist died from his injuries after being run over by a tow truck during a Jan. 5 demonstration against Israeli forces in the southern West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Suleiman al-Hathaleen died from wounds to his head, upper body and pelvis.
The Israeli military said its forces were operating with the tow truck to remove unregistered vehicles when protesters hurled rocks at them and tried to block them in. It said that as the forces withdrew, one of the demonstrators “jumped on the tow truck, fell to the ground and was hurt.” It said the circumstances were too dangerous for the troops to stop and provide first aid.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, which provides services across the West Bank, had condemned the incident last week and called on Israel to investigate it.
It said al-Hathaleen had been peacefully protesting on the road and would have been clearly visible to the driver and the Israeli soldiers. It said the truck “drove over him and dragged his body for several meters (yards) without stopping.”
Source: Associated Press
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