Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia offers condolences to Iran following deadly Bandar Abbas port explosion    Saudi Arabia welcomes Palestinian leadership reforms, appointment of Hussein Al-Sheikh    Ministry of Hajj issued over 150,000 Nusuk cards for the Hajj of 2025    Saudi Arabia deports 12,866 illegal residents in a week    Pope Francis laid to rest at historic funeral in Rome    Massive explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port injures over 500 people    SFDA clears first 44-ton medical shipment for Hajj pilgrims    Over 13 million worshipers pray at Rawdah Sharif in a year    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Day of justice
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 07 - 05 - 2016

Even in as violent and divided a city as Jerusalem, the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir in July 2014 was a dark day. The 16-year-old was kidnapped, beaten, doused with gasoline and burned alive in a forest outside the city by Israeli right-wing zealots, who later admitted they had picked the teenager at random in a revenge attack for the murder of three Israelis teens. Two Israeli minors were convicted for their roles in the death of Abu Khdeir and are serving sentences of more than 20 years. And now the ringleader of that horrific murder has been sentenced to life in prison.
Yosef Haim Ben-David's sentence was delayed because he had pleaded insanity. It is just about the only defense one can use to rationalize such an indefensible crime. Fortunately, it didn't work. The judges were having none of it. The court found the 30-year-old was responsible for his actions. At the time Ben-David committed the crime, he was not psychotic, fully understood the facts, was responsible for his actions, had no difficulty in understanding reality and had the capacity to prevent the crime. It was a barbaric act, motivated by revenge, plain and simple. It could be argued, though, revenge for whom? The family of the Israeli teens said that they didn't want revenge.
The separate killings contributed to soaring tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. It was feared that a third Intifada would erupt. The Intifada never came but a war did, one which killed 2,205 Palestinians in 50 days, including at least 1,483 civilians of whom 521 were children and 283 women.
Much has been written about the murder of Abu Khdeir. He was murdered but many Palestinians have been murdered. He was young but many, many Palestinian children have been killed and are being killed. Frankly, it's a brutality that has come to be expected. So, what was different about Abu Khdeir's death?
It was no ordinary crime. Abu Khdeir was waiting for friends outside a mosque during morning prayers when he was abducted. Surveillance footage showed him being dragged into a car that drove into a forest. His attackers hit him on the head with a metal bar. An autopsy showed he had soot in his lungs, indicating he had been burned alive after being forced to swallow petrol by his attackers. It was a death that cannot be comprehended.
One of the saddest things about Mohamed's death is that while it shocked Palestine and the world, that shock never translated into action. True, his killers are now behind bars, but a year-and-a-half on and nothing has changed. If anything, support for the radical Jewish right that in its extremities carries out such attacks appears to be growing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may appear to be trying to stem its growth with arrests of Israeli zealots in recent months. But the West Bank remains a tinderbox, with dozens of Palestinians killed while protesting the Israeli occupation. Gaza remains in ruins, with much of its infrastructure destroyed. A peace deal appears as remote now as when negotiations collapsed in April 2014, if not more so.
Even if there is some consolation that his killer will never again see the outside of a prison cell, the world should not forget Mohammed Abu Khdeir. The wounds opened that night in Jerusalem will remain raw. His murder and its aftermath should be a reminder that the occupation has produced these sorts of shocking, indescribable murders and murderers. We owe this to Mohammed and to his memory, his parents and all the other victims and families caught up in the violence that exploded in that sweltering summer of 2014 and continues to this day.


Clic here to read the story from its source.