Palestinian suspected of involvement in murder of 8 nabbed

Muhammad Zitawi, Tanzim activist from Tulkarm, turns himself in to IDF forces after Duvdevan Unit surrounds building in which he was hiding. Zitawi suspected of being involved in murder of eight Israelis, including two restaurateurs, Moti Dayan and Etgar Zaituni

Reuters | Published: 11.16.06, 22:50

Security forces arrested Muhammad Zitawi, a Tanzim activist from Tulkarm suspected by the Shin Bet of being involved in the murder of eight Israelis in January 2001, Thursday afternoon. Of the eight Israelis murdered were two restaurateurs, Moti Dayan and Etgar Zaituni.

Thursday, a team of soldiers from the elite Duvdevan Unit surrounded the building in which Zitawi was hiding and called him to come out. When they didn’t receive a response, the force started to wreck the building in order to compel him to come out.

During the operation, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the troops, and they returned fire. Molotov cocktails and rocks were thrown at the troops. At one point, the soldiers identified a Palestinian throwing a burning tire being at them. The soldiers returned fire and hit the Palestinian. None of the soldiers was hurt and no damage was caused throughout the incident.

Come evening, Zitawi turned himself over to the IDF troops from whence he was transferred to the security forces for investigation and the IDF forces began searching the house in which he was hiding.

The Palestinians reported that IDF soldiers used the questionable technique of taking a neighboring Palestinian along with them in order to compel their neighbor to open the door, and, in the case that fire is exchanged, the Palestinian neighbor would act as a shield for the soldiers. The High Court has forbidden using this technique.

Zitawi's brother, Nassim, said that the soldiers asked him to approach his brother hiding in the building next door so that that he would turn himself in.

Nassim said that when he asked the IDF soldiers to promise his brother wouldn't be hurt, the unit's officer instructed him to take four women and a baby along with them. The officer then left the building surrounded by Zitawi's family members. According to Nassim, the officer asked him to remove his shirt to ensure that he wasn't wearing an explosive belt.

The security services have already claimed in the past that they had arrested and killed wanted men connected to the murder of the restaurateurs. Muslam Thabet, suspected of murdering the restaurateurs turned himself in to the Palestinian security services in the past.

In October 2001, Faras Jaber, 26, a senior operatives in the Fatah's military arm, was killed in an encounter with the IDF in Tulkarm. At that time, it was claimed that he was involved in the murder. In January 2001, Raad al-Karmi, a senior Tanzim operative, was killed in a bomb explosion.

The Palestinians accused Israel of detonating the bomb. At that time, the IDF said that al-Karmi was responsible for the murder of the two restaurateurs.