Family of woman who died at protest to sue Israeli army

Ramallah: The family of Jawaher Abu Rahma, who died on Saturday as a result of tear gas inhalation during the weekly protest against the Israeli wall in Bilin, is preparing to sue the Israeli army.

In an interview with Gulf News, Ahmad Abu Rahma, a brother of the 36-year-old deceased, said that his family will never let go the life of Jawaher.

"We are currently in the process of filing a case against the Israeli army at the Israeli Higher Court of Justice. We will approach other courts in the US or Europe if the Israeli court fails to deliver justice," Abu Rahma told Gulf News.

"We have already hired a lawyer. A straight and direct confession from the Israeli Army claiming responsibility for Jawaher's death is our basic demand," he said. "We will not claim compensation for the death of my sister once the soldiers who fired the tear gas and the Israeli army are indicted. But we are demanding that the Israeli army stop firing tear gas at demonstrators with immediate effect," he said.

Reason for filing

"Admitting the crime and halting the firing of tear gas at Bilin protesters are the only reasons behind filing the court case," he added.

"The Bilin residents will never stop their weekly demonstrations till the apartheid wall is brought down," he said. Meanwhile, the Israeli media, quoting defence sources, claimed that the tear gas was not the cause of Jawaher's death. The media also claimed that Jawaher had not participated in Friday's protest.

Haaretz reported that the medical report passed on to Israel by the Palestinian authorities contains significant inconsistencies regarding the circumstances leading to her death.

The Israeli daily quoted military sources as saying that there was no proof Jawaher Abu Rahma even participated in the demonstration against the wall nor did she die from inhaling tear gas.

The Israeli defence establishment has repeatedly requested the Palestinian National Authority to pass on a copy of Jawaher's medical report.

On Tuesday, the Palestinian cabinet issued an official statement condemning the use of excessive force against the non-violent Palestinian protests, and holding the Israeli army responsible for the death of Jawaher.