Israeli army assassinates Islamic Jihad activist
Lawsociety, March 30, 2002
From: "Lawsociety" <law@lawsociety.org>
Israeli army assassinates Islamic Jihad activist
March 30, 2002
On Saturday, 30 March 2002, Israeli troops assassinated Islamic Jihad
activist Ahmad Ajaj (32). Ajaj was married and had four children. He was
from the West Bank village of Saida (Tulkarm).
According to LAW's documentation, on that day a
civilian vehicle with Palestinian registration plate entered Saida. When
the car reached Ajaj's residence Israeli troops got off the car and opened
fire at the three- story-house where Ajaj used to live. Ajaj then tried
to escape the Israeli fire. However, while climbing over a wall he was
hit in the foot by gunfire and fell to the ground. The Israeli troops then
approached the injured man and continued firing at him from a distance
of 3 meters only. He was hit in the head, chest, and abdomen and died instantly.
When he heard shooting, Ahmad Ajaj's cousin Azmi
Ajaj (34), who used to live next door, stepped out of his house to see
what had happened. However, he was apprehended by Israeli troops and taken
to the place where Ahmad had been killed. Azmi was then severely beaten
with sharp tools as could be seen from bruises on his face and head. Israeli
troops then shot Azmi at pointblank in the head (below the left ear) and
in the abdomen. Azmi had no political affiliation whatsoever.
Assassinations of Palestinian activists as those
carried out by the Israeli government under its official and declared "liquidation"
policy constitute willful killings and thus amount to war crimes subject
to universal jurisdiction. Moreover, as the figure of around 30 killed
bystanders including 6 children clearly indicates, "liquidations" are carried
out under circumstances, which suggest blatant disregard for the life and
security of human life.
According to LAW's database, at least 75 Palestinian
activists have been killed pursuant to the assassination policy, which
the state of Israel has been implementing for weeks and months with absolute
impunity.
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