JERUSALEM, January 3, 2016
(WAFA) – Israeli authorities on Sunday conditioned the release of the bodies of
four Palestinians, who were fatally shot by Israeli troops during the ongoing
unrest that began in early October 2015, with their families’ consent to bury
them outside the boundaries of the apartheid wall.
Mohammad Mahmoud, an attorney
with Addameer human rights group, said Israeli intelligence agreed to hand over
the bodies of Isac Badran, 16, Mohammad Said Ali, 19, Hassan Manasrah, 16, and
Ahmad Qunaibi, 22, if the families agree to their condition.
The bodies of the four, killed
by Israeli troops during the past weeks, have been withheld by Israel as a
punitive measure.
Mahmoud said Israeli
intelligence demanded the bodies of both Manasrah and Ali to be buried in the
village of Anata, east of Jerusalem, and to bury the bodies of Badran and
Qunaibi in the nearby area of Kafr Aqab.
The occupation authorities also
demanded the burial of the four bodies to take place at night; only few people
partake in the funeral; and finally a financial guarantee of 5,000 shekels
(about $1,280) to be handed over to the Israeli side to ensure that the Israeli
preconditions are met.
Meanwhile, the families of the
four Palestinians, who were summoned by the Israeli intelligence, said they
refused to comply with the Israeli preconditions. The Israeli intelligence
later announced it would delay the handing over of the bodies.
On Saturday, Israel released
the bodies of 17 Palestinians from Hebron who were killed during the past three
months of violent unrest.
International human rights
groups have repeatedly condemned Israel’s policy withholding the bodies of
Palestinians who are killed by Israeli fire.
B’Tselem, an Israeli human
rights group, considered this policy a violation of human dignity, adding that
the policy is not only morally wrong, but also undervalues Palestinians and
their families.
Not only does Israel withhold
the bodies of Palestinians’ suspects, but it also reportedly freezes their
bodies under extremely low degrees. “Israel freezes the bodies of the
Palestinian martyrs in mortuaries held at -35 degrees which prevents autopsy
for 24 to 48 hours,” Head of Al-Quds University's Institute for Forensic
Medicine, Saber al-Aloul told Maan News Agency.
M.N./T.R.
