Two cops convicted in death of Palestinian car thief
Police took Omar Abu J’riban from the hospital and left him at the side of the road, without food or water, where he died of dehydration
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court convicted two police officers of manslaughter on Monday in the case of a Palestinian car thief who died in 2008. Baruch Peretz and Assaf Yekutieli were negligent, the court stated, in causing the death of Omar Abu J’riban.
J’riban was from the Gaza Strip. In 2008, while in Israel illegally, he stole a car and was injured when the car crashed on Highway 6. He was hospitalized in Sheba Medical Center, outside Tel Aviv.
For reasons that remain unclear, J’riban was later released to police custody; the indictment suggests that Peretz and Yekutieli were going to return him to the Palestinian territories, even though that was against police regulations.
Yekutieli — also for reasons that remain unclear — left J’riban at the side of the road near the Atarot Junction, north of Jerusalem, without food or water. This, despite J’riban’s fragile health after being discharged from the hospital. He was still wearing hospital scrubs and still had a catheter attached to his body. J’riban’s body was discovered two days later; he had apparently died of dehydration.
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The court leveled harsh criticism against the policemen, stating that “any sensible person with a bit of compassion” would have known not to treat a person as they had.
The policemen stated that they had merely carried out orders, but the court rejected their explanations as unsatisfactory.
J’riban’s family said the court’s ruling did not comfort them.
“You treated him like an animal,” said J’riban’s sister, Kippah.
