Israel releases last body of East Jerusalem terrorist for burial
Palestinian who carried out ramming attack in jerusalem buried in low-key funeral; state still withholding 10 bodies of West Bank attackers
Israel early Thursday released for burial the last body of a terrorist from East Jerusalem held by the state.
Israel was still holding on to 10 other bodies of Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank who were killed while carrying out attacks over the past 11 months, according to the Ynet news website.
Overnight Wednesday-Thursday, the remains of an East Jerusalem attacker who rammed a car into a Jerusalem bus stop on December 14, injuring 14 Israelis, was returned to his relatives for a low-key funeral.
Abed el-Muhsen Hassuna was residing in the West Bank city of Hebron before the attack near the capital’s Chords Bridge, but had in the past lived in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina and held Israeli residency.
Hamas in December said Hassuna, 21, was a member of the terror organization.
The practice of withholding bodies of terrorists has been implemented inconsistently, particularly as the bodies of those who attacked Israelis in the West Bank are under the purview of the Defense Ministry while those killed within Israel proper are under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Ministry.
Israeli officials argue the funerals for deceased attackers — who were killed as they stabbed, shot, or rammed Israelis with cars over the past 11 months — often turn into mass rallies in support of Palestinian terrorism, and therefore withhold the bodies until relatives agree to hold subdued burials that don’t include calls for further attacks.
In July, the High Court of Justice instructed the Israel Police to explain why it was withholding the bodies of several East Jerusalem Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks, and had not returned the remains to their families.
The July 25 ruling came in response to a petition filed by several East Jerusalem families who said Israeli authorities have refused to return the bodies of their relatives despite their having agreed to the condition that they be buried in a low-profile funeral.
Last week, the remains of Bahaa Allyan, who killed three passengers in a terror attack on a bus in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood last October 13, was interred in the Al-Mujahideen cemetery on Salah ad-Din Street in East Jerusalem.
Security forces returned Allyan’s body on the condition that the funeral be held at midnight and have, at most, 25 people present. Additionally, it imposed a NIS 20,000 ($5,300) deposit, to be returned to the relatives if the funeral was carried out in accordance with the restrictions.
Allyan and Bilal Abu Ghanem boarded the number 78 bus armed with knives and a gun and killed three Israelis. Police who arrived at the scene shot and killed Allyan, while Abu Ghanem, who was injured in a shootout with officers, was taken into custody. Last month, he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences and an additional 60 years in prison for the murders of Haviv Haim, Alon Govberg, and peace activist Richard Lakin.
