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PHRMG Hotline Update # 2/2001

Jerusalem, 28 October 2001

MURDER OF TAHRIR REZEQ IGNORED BY POLICE

Tahrir Suleiman Rezeq (21) from Hizma, north of Jerusalem, was killed on 31 December 2000 by a settler who responded with disproportionate force to an attack on him and his property. This case was included in the report on Settler Violence released by the PHRMG in April 2001.

The facts as related to the PHRMG on 11 January 2001 by Tahrir’s father, Suleiman are as follows:

On 31/12/2000, four or five youths from Hizma were throwing stones onto the Ramallah bypass road leading from Maale Adumim to Ofra. They may have hit a settler car, because the car, a white Mitsubishi, turned around and came back. It stopped on the road, and the driver fired around 10 shots out of his car window. One of the shots hit Tahrir in the head at a range of less than 10 meters. Eyewitnesses say they believe the man was a settler because he was traveling alone, in civilian clothes and in a civilian car[1]. Tahrir was taken to al-Mukassed Hospital in Jerusalem in a civilian car because they did not want to wait for an ambulance. The family has made no complaint to either Palestinian or Israeli authorities because we do not believe that it will lead to anything. “If the judge is your enemy, what justice will you get?” Suleiman said.

The fact that the driver turned the car around and drove back to where the youths were standing shows that he was not using reasonable force in self-defense, but rather wanted to punish the stone throwers. Although Palestinians who were with Tahrir said they could identify the vehicle and remembered some of the license number, and despite the fact that this case was reported in the Israeli press, the police have neither contacted the family for their testimonies, nor even opened an investigation.

On 6 February 2001, the PHRMG sent a letter to Rafi Yafe, spokesperson for the Israeli West Bank Police, inquiring about the status of Tahrir’s and other homicide cases. Attorney Rekefet Levin, Officer of Public Affairs of the West Bank Police, replied on 26 March 2001, referring us for Tahrir’s case to the Jerusalem Police, who have jurisdiction over the area in which the murder was committed.

On 7 May 2001, the PHRMG therefore wrote to Shmuel Ben Rubi of the Jerusalem District Police; however Mr. Ben Rubi called the PHRMG on 15 May 2001, informing us that since the murder was committed in the village of Hizma, it is indeed the West Bank Police that is responsible for conducting the homicide investigation.

On 15 May 2001, the PHRMG once again sent a letter to Rafi Yafe, informing him of this response and inquiring whether an investigation into the killing of Mr. Rezeq had been opened, or would be opened in the near future. Obviously, the time elapsed since the murder could already have seriously compromised the investigation and affected the possibility of bringing the criminal(s) who killed Mr. Rezeq to justice.

Failing to receive any response to this last inquiry, the PHRMG arranged for a Hebrew translation of the letter which was sent on 22 October 2001 to Moshe Ariel, Chief of Investigations of the West Bank Police. The next day, Sami of the West Bank Police called the PHRMG to inform us that indeed no file had been opened concerning the Rezeq homicide. The police officer asked the PHRMG about the source of our information, arguing that neither the family nor al-Mukassed Hospital in Jerusalem – where Tahrir died – had informed the police of the incident.

The PHRMG is appalled by the attitude exhibited by the West Bank Police in handling this case. The police have an obvious duty to investigate cases of homicide, whether or not a formal complaint has been filed. The police now argue that “they didn’t know” about the case. This position is unbelievable since Tahrir’s death was reported in the Israeli media on 2 January 2001, and the PHRMG has already sent numerous letters inquiring about the status of his case, both to the West Bank and the Jerusalem District Police.

UPDATE ON THE BARDALAH RAMPAGE (Hotline Update #1/2001)

On 21 October 2001, the PHRMG sent a letter in Hebrew to Moshe Ariel, Chief of Investigations of the West Bank Police, inquiring about the location of the police station where residents of Bardalah could go to file their criminal complaints. On 24 October 2001, an Officer Ofer called the PHRMG to advise to go to the police station in the Israeli settlement of Ariel. Bardalah is located at the northern entrance of the Jordan Valley, near Beit Shean, while the settlement of Ariel is located between Ramallah and Nablus, in the central West Bank. Due to the internal siege imposed by Israeli forces on many West Bank towns and roads, it is practically impossible for Bardalah residents to reach Ariel. Alternatively, the officer suggested going to the DCO station of Salim, east of Nablus. Though closer, this solution is equally impracticable.

 Finally, the PHRMG agreed with the police that the complainants would not have to physically go to the police station, but that their names would be added to the original complaint, whose status the PHRMG would monitor.

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