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JERUSALEM, April 14 (AP) — Israeli authorities said Thursday that an internal investigation into the killing of a 26-year-old Palestinian Israeli citizen at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site earlier this month found no evidence of police wrongdoing.
The case has drawn the ire of Arab lawmakers and rights groups because of multiple details of the incident.
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Israel’s State Prosecutor’s Office formally closed the case on Thursday, saying the police shooting of Mohammad al-Arahibi, a Palestinian citizen in a Bedouin village in southern Israel, was “a lawful act of self-defense”. On April 1, he was shot dead at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Alasibe pounced on an officer and tried to grab his gun, and managed to fire two shots into the air before the officer regained control of his weapon and killed him, police said.
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Palestinian witnesses offered conflicting accounts that Alasibi had gotten into an altercation with an official over his alleged harassment of a female worshiper heading to a mosque in Islam’s third holiest site. The compound is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
After some altercation, the Palestinians said they heard a burst of gunfire – a dozen – apparently all at Alasibi at close range.
Alasibe’s family denied he had tried to attack police, saying he was ambitious and level-headed. They said he had just returned from studying medicine in Romania and was trying to get certified as a doctor in Israel.
Israel’s state prosecutor said on Thursday it had “clear, direct and conclusive evidence” that the police did not commit a crime, but did not elaborate or provide evidence. Although the alleys of Jerusalem’s Old City are lined with surveillance cameras, police insist there is no surveillance footage of the alleged attack.
“The investigation revealed that the incident occurred in a ‘blind spot’ (of the Old City) that was not covered by any security cameras,” the statement said. There was also no body camera footage.
Ahmad Tibi, a prominent Arab member of the Knesset, denounced the investigation as whitewashing and called for an independent inquiry.
“This is a department we don’t trust. Its outcome is known in advance,” Tibby told The Associated Press. “Not only are the police accounts unconvincing, but their refusal to release any video of the incident confirms our suspicions … that Mohammad was killed in cold blood.”
Israeli authorities said their investigation involved speaking with officials involved, consulting witnesses and conducting forensic examinations.
The Police Misconduct Investigation Unit, which handles brutality complaints, has faced criticism in the past for failing to thoroughly investigate allegations.
The 2017 report by Israel’s state auditor said the ministry had closed most of the cases it was considering during the “preliminary phase” of its investigation, partly because of concerns that officials might hesitate to use force if necessary.
In 2015, 66 percent of cases brought to the department were closed without consulting officials, the report said. Of the 6,320 cases filed that year, fewer than 200 were referred for disciplinary action. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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