New Umm al-Hiran video shows police pepper-spraying Arab MK
Tweeting footage, Ayman Odeh says it proves law enforcement officials lied about use of force during the deadly January operation
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New footage of a deadly home demolition in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran earlier in the year shows police pepper-spraying Joint (Arab) List MK Ayman Odeh in the face.
Odeh on Wednesday tweeted the footage filmed by an Al Jazeera cameraman, saying it proved police lied about using force against him and other demonstrators during the protests.
“Police attacked us, pepper sprayed us directly in the eyes and then fired stun grenades,” he said. “Unfortunately, the rubber-tipped bullet that struck and injured me was not recorded.”
Odeh said he was attempting to reach the village to check for casualties after hearing gunshots, but was stopped by policemen. The video shows police arguing with Odeh. An officer is then seen stepping forward and spraying him in the face.
דוברות המשטרה ניסתה להכחיש שהותקפתי על ידי השוטרים באותו לילה נורא באום אל חיראן, הסרטון הזה מוכיח את תחילת העדות שלי – שוטרים תקפו אותנו, ריססו גז פלפל ישירות לעיניים וירו רימוני הלם, לצערי ירי כדורי הספוג ממנו נפצעתי לא מתועד. pic.twitter.com/5c0YPDZ4b8
— איימן עודה أيمن عودة Ayman Odeh (@AyOdeh) November 22, 2017
Odeh falls back, apparently in pain. According to Hadashot news (formerly Channel 2), additional footage then shows police hurling a stun grenade at the lawmaker. Odeh was later injured in the head, and claims to have been hit by a rubber bullet.
The State Prosecution on Tuesday asked the Justice Ministry to reopen an investigation into the police shooting of a Bedouin teacher during the operation in Umm al-Hiran.
The new video was reported to be central to the renewed probe.
In light of new evidence, the ministry’s Police Investigations Department was told to take another look at the events surrounding the death of Yaqoub Mousa Abu Al-Qia’an, who was slain by police in Umm al-Hiran during a nighttime incident in which his car drove into officers, killing one of them.
The incident was initially ruled terrorism, but authorities have indicated since that Abu Al-Qia’an likely lost control of the vehicle after being shot, and did not intentionally hit the officers.
A six-month probe by the Police Internal Investigations Department concluded in August there was no indication that officers had acted criminally in shooting Abu Al-Qia’an. The findings were transferred to the attorney general and the state’s attorney, who have not yet given a final decision on whether to press charges.
Channel 10 reported Tuesday that the new evidence concerns the shots that killed Abu Al-Qia’an and a sponge-tipped bullet that allegedly injured Odeh.
Over the past two days, several officers were questioned, the report said. The investigation file will eventually be returned to prosecutors with an updated conclusion from police.
The incident took place in the early morning of January 18 when police arrived to oversee the demolition of homes in the unrecognized Bedouin village, which the state was seeking to remove in order to clear the way for a new Jewish town.
As officers converged on Umm al-Hiran, Abu Al-Qia’an, 47, a teacher and father of 12, packed a few belongings into his SUV and drove from his house, telling friends that he did not wish to witness its destruction. Soon afterward, the vehicle with Abu Al-Qia’an at the wheel rammed into a group of officers, killing 1st Sgt. Erez Lev, 34.
Abu Al-Qia’an was fatally shot by police.
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In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and the police asserted that Abu Al-Qia’an was a terrorist inspired by the Islamic State group who was shot after intentionally ramming his vehicle into the officers.
The charge was vehemently denied by his family, who argued that he was shot before his car sped up, leading him to lose control of the vehicle.
Activists and others said police had used excessive force, pointing to what they claimed was institutionalized racism against Arabs, including Bedouin.
Zehava Galon, the Meretz party leader who recently resigned her parliamentary seat, told Channel 10 that police were trying to cover up what really happened.
“The police did everything so that the truth won’t come out,” she said.
The Times of Israel Community.