East Jerusalem memorial for man who shot fireworks at police removed
Netanyahu says he asked that plaque commemorating Mohammed Obeid, who was shot dead by officers during clashes in Issawiya last month, be taken down
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Israeli authorities on Wednesday removed a memorial plaque in an East Jerusalem neighborhood for a Palestinian man who was shot dead after launching fireworks at police.
Issawiya resident Mohammed Obeid was killed last month during clashes with officers in the neighborhood.
The police said Obeid, 20, presented a lethal threat when he was shot, but residents accused cops of using excessive force and shooting Obeid from a very short distance.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested that the memorial be taken down and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said he ordered it be done so immediately.
“We won’t allow this,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.
לבקשתי ובתיאום עם ראש עיריית ירושלים משה ליאון וגורמי הביטחון והאכיפה, הוסרה האנדרטה שהוקמה בעיסאוויה לזכר מחבל. לא נאפשר זאת! pic.twitter.com/ihZMHf6nuA
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 10, 2019
The shooting and Israel’s refusal to release the body sparked several consecutive nights of clashes between Israeli security forces and residents of Issawiya, and elsewhere in the capital.
At least 100 Palestinian demonstrators were injured in the three days of violent clashes.
Police have reportedly been entering Issawiya in recent weeks in a bid to track down members of a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror cell believed to be at large in the neighborhood. The operations have sparked regular clashes with local residents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.