Israel closes investigation of Abu Salima case
Killings of Palestinians rarely end (if ever) with prosecution
Jerusalem24 – The Israeli Mahash today, closed the investigation against the two policemen who shot Muhammad Abu Salima in occupied Jerusalem last Saturday, claiming that the shooting was justified.
After a two-hour investigation last Sunday, the two border police officers were released without any action taken against them, and were returned to service.
The Israeli authorities continue to close investigation files into cases brought by human rights organizations that show the killings of unarmed Palestinians that posed no threat.
On May 30, 2018, the Israeli police in Jerusalem shot and killed 30-year-old autistic man, Iyad al-Hallaq.
Following Hallaq’s death, Israel announced it would investigate the incident, until the Mahash announced that it was in the process of acquitting one of the officers, and filing an indictment against the other for murder through recklessness.
Israeli authorities have closed many investigations into the killing of Palestinians citing the lack of evidence to prosecute its soldiers, despite the presence of videos documenting the killings.
Last November, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an investigation into several events in the West Bank in the past two years which lead to the death or injury of 18 Palestinians.
The investigation reported that in the 18 incidents, none of the suspected officers were prosecuted. When the paper approached the Israeli military’s spokesperson to inquire about the results of the investigations, it was stated that 5 have been closed due to lack of evidence.
The remaining cases are still being investigated, however no actions or procedures have taken place in their course.
