[ad_1]
JERUSALEM, Oct. 13 (AP) — The family of a Palestinian-American who died after being detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank earlier this year said Wednesday they would reject Israel’s settlement offer.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said earlier this week that it had agreed to pay the family of Omar Assad, 78, who died handcuffed and blindfolded while in custody by Israeli soldiers — It was a rare case-closing move that drew strong condemnation from Washington.
Assad was born in the Palestinian town of Gilglia, but has spent about 40 years in the United States. He became a U.S. citizen in 2009 before returning to his hometown to retire with his wife.
Under the deal, Assad’s family will receive 500,000 shekels, or about $141,000, to drop the lawsuit against the state, the ministry said.
Also read | Plague has killed two people in Tibet, and Chinese authorities have warned residents to stay home.
Nawaf al-Assad, Omar’s brother, who has traveled between Virginia and Illinois, said he had instructed their family lawyers to reject Israel’s offer.
“We are not interested in dropping the case for any reason,” Assad told The Associated Press.
“There is no money to replace my brother’s children and his grandchildren are still calling him…his wife thinks he’s home every time the doorbell rings.”
Questions remain about what happened after Assad was detained by Israeli forces at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army said troops later released his hands and left him face down in an abandoned building.
Assad was pronounced dead in hospital after other detained Palestinians found him unconscious. The Palestinian’s autopsy showed that he died of a heart attack from injuries sustained in custody.
The Israeli military has condemned a senior military officer and removed two others from their leadership positions after its own investigation concluded that Assad’s death was “due to a soldier’s moral failure and poor decision-making.”
It was a rare admission of error by the military, which has long been criticized for rarely holding soldiers accountable.
Assad’s family has said they will reject Israeli settlements so they can continue to push for the United States to conduct its own independent investigation. Several members of Congress have also called for an investigation into the United States.
“If we close the deal, the US government will close (the case),” said his brother Assad. “We want justice.” (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link