Eyad Al-Hallaq
A 32-year-old autistic Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli Police on 30 May 2020.
After the breaking news of George Floyd’s death, and millions marching the streets of the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Britain, and other countries seeking justice; a cruel, and silenced incident led by Israeli officers that took place in Jerusalem rises. Eyad Al-Hallaq, a 32-year-old Palestinian man with a mental disability in Jerusalem killed by Israeli soldiers claiming that he had a gun and was a threat to them.
He had been tracing the same path every morning to the center for six years. Monitoring by the UN Human Rights Office suggests Eyad was shouted at by Israeli Security Forces. Because of his disability, he panicked and ran, hiding in a dumpsite and called for his teacher, who was nearby. While events are still to be fully clarified, it appears Eyad was killed by shots of live ammunition to the upper body while he was on the ground. Israeli Security Forces personnel involved claimed they suspected he was carrying a gun. No weapon appears to have been found. (The Palestinian News & info Agency, 2020)
According to the testimony of his caregiver, who was by his side and tried to protect him, he was executed. For long minutes she stood next to him and pleaded for his life, trying to explain to the police officers, in Hebrew, and Arabic, that he suffered from a disability. They shot him three times from close range with a rifle, directly into the center of his body, as he layed on his back, wounded and terrified, on the floor of the room. (Levy & Levac 2020) Eyad was just one of thousands that died as a result of reckless behaviors. Battling his disabilities, yet, taken down by Israeli officers. As long as justice is a privilege and not a right, many Palestinians will suffer what Eyad has suffered.
