Nadim Malham was shot dead by police
Photo: Ronny Shitser
Arab anger: Jews treated differently
Relatives of Arab man shot by police slam officers' conduct; police on high alert
Relatives of Nadim Malham, the man shot dead by police in the Israeli Arab village of Arara Thursday, are furious at police and claim officers have a light trigger finger when dealing with Israel's Arab citizens.
Jamal, Nadim's father, 28, claimed that police came in order kill his son.
"These police officers were here a number of times. They wanted to recruit my son and turn him into an informer. I refused and argued with them. The last time they came a few months ago, he refused, and they told him: 'We will settle the score with you in the end,'" said Jamal.
Arab riots
Sharon Roffe-Ofir
Riots break out in northern Israel after police officers kill suspect; later, police disperse rioters. Cousin of man shot to death slams police in talk with Ynet
The angry father sat in his home surrounded by family and leaders from the Arab sector who refused to believe they were mourning Nadim.
"My son is not a criminal, they came into our home when he was asleep. When he woke up and saw detectives and Border Police officers standing over him, he tried to get up and leave the house, and then they shot him," Jamal said.
Following the incident, Minister for Interior Security Gideon Ezra visited the village. Jamal, who did not meet Ezra, asked to send him the following message through Ynet: "This is how your police look like, when you send criminals and turn them into police officers. You're not police officers, you're murderers."
Many in the Arab sector appear to share Jamal's views. Knesset Member Jamal Zahalka (National Democratic Assembly) said: "If the murderer is not punished, it would be a green light for the next murder. Our blood is not worthless and we must ensure that justice is carried out, and that the perpetrators are punished for the murder."
Police deployed in force
The Masawa Center for Human Rights said: "This the thirty first Arab shot dead by police in the last five years. The police are continuing with their hostile policy, and as usual are blaming the victim. The Police Investigations Unit, which announced it is investigating the incident, has yet to send an investigator to the murder scene. Isn't this the right time to collect testimonies? Because if they don't do it, the investigators will say they are closing the case due to the absence of eyewitness evidence."
An emergency session of the Israeli Arab Monitoring Committee will be held in the village of Arara on Friday in order to decide how the Arab sector will respond to the incident.
Meanwhile, police decided to keep high numbers of officers in the Wadi Ara area on Thursday night and Friday due to fears of disturbances.
Nadim will be buried on Friday afternoon immediately after the end of prayers at the mosques.
A police spokesman rejected Jamal's claims, saying: "Criminals are not recruited to the force. This (Nadim) is a guy with a serious criminal record. He possessed a gun without a license, it was a stolen gun."
