Organizers of a funeral for an Arab who was shot when he tried stabbing Israeli police officers broke a promise to limit the number of participants and refrain from political demonstrations.
By: World Israel News Staff
Thousands of Arabs with Israeli citizenship attended the Monday late-night funeral of terrorist Ahmed Mahmeed, the who was shot to death by the police after trying to stab an officer in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday.
In a blatant display of support for terrorism in the northern Israeli-Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, crowds chanted “in spirit and blood we will redeem the Shahid (martyr),” launched firecrackers, flew Palestinian flags and shot into the air.
The police released the terrorist’s body as a goodwill gesture for the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday and on condition that only 50 people attend the procession, in order to prevent the funeral from becoming a mass public display of support for terrorism.
The family was also required to post bail of NIS 50,000 as a guarantee of compliance. However, the conditions were not met and the police seized the funds, which were donated by the residents of Um al-Fahm to the family.
“Due to the failure to observe the conditions, the police will open an investigation into the suspected failure to adhere to orders,” a police spokesman said Tuesday.
Responding to the funeral, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman wrote Twitter: “You ask yourself why Umm al-Fahm should be part of Palestine and not Israel? The sights from last night of many hundreds of people taking part in the funeral of the terrorist from their city with Palestinian flags, and cries of ‘in spirit and blood, we will redeem the Shahid,’ will finally answer the question.”
“The plan that I published many years ago to exchange territories and populations is more relevant than ever,” he underscored.
On Friday, Mahameed, 30, came to a police post near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. He pulled out a knife and tried stabbing one of the policemen. After a scuffle, he was shot and killed.
Mahameed’s family claimed that he was mentally ill.
Police said a probe of the incident had shown that the police’s fire was justified.