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The manacled hand of Eden Natan-Zada, shown on the bus after he was dead.
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| By israelinsider staff and partners August 7, 2005 |
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The High Mnitoring Committee of the Israeli Arab leadership called on the government Saturday to refrain from investigating the death of Eden Natan-Zada, the shooter in the Shfaram bus.
Israeli Communist ["Hadash"] party chairman, MK Muhammad Barakeh, speaking on Israel Army Radio, warned of mass protest actions of Arab-Israelis if the police investigate who was involved in the murder of Natan-Zada, who is believed to have killed four Arabs before being killed by members of a mob who climbed on the bus and beat him to death.
Barakeh claimed that the soldier was hit to prevent him from killing more people and denied that he was murdered after being handcuffed. "We're speaking about self-defense. The man tried to exchange his ammunition cartridge and these were the seconds given to overpower him. People tried to neutralize him. That's it."
However, Shfaram's security officer, Jamal Aliam, told Army Radio that Zada had been attacked by dozens after he had been handcuffed and subdued by police. Photographs from the scene show the body of Natan-Zada with his hand manacled. Unless he was handcuffed after death, he could have posed no threat. The photographic evidence indicates that Barakeh was lying and demands further investigation.
Channel Two screened still photos of Natan-Zada on the bus with his hands manacled and bound by his shirt, still alive, and then several minutes later, dead, after "dozens" of local Arabs overwhelmed the few policemen on the bus assaulted the defenseless prisoners with blows and objects.
Also unanswered is how the Israeli police could allow the mob to rule the scene for nearly five hours without intervening.
On numerous occasions, Israeli police have intervened after terror attack by Arab Muslims with Jewish victims, protecting the attackers so that he or she could be tried in Israeli courts. In the present occasion, not only was there inadequate police protection, the mob actually attacked the police on the bus, causing injury. And to add insult, the police reportedly allowed an Arab doctor onto the bus, at the demand of the mob, to confirm that Natan-Zada was in fact dead.
According to Barakeh, the crowd attacked Zada out of concern he would continue with his shooting rampage. He denied that Zada was beaten after being handcuffed by police.
Other Israeli Arabs apparently are gearing up for more mob confrontations. The head of the Islamic Movement's northern faction, Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, who was recently released from prison, called on Israeli Arabs to come in masses to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Tisha B'av to defend the holy site from anti-disengagement activists who plan a rally there.
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