MK Tibi: Hamdan's shooting was an 'execution'
Tibi claims disproportionate treatment of Jews and Arabs by police, says Rabin's shooter was arrested while Hamdan shot to death when 'there was no danger.'
"There's one Jew who shot a prime minister. He was neutralized without being shot to death," MK Ahmad Tibi said Sunday, contrasting the capture of the murderer of slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin with the shooting of Khair Hamdan in Kafr Kanna on Friday.
In an interview to Ynet, Tibi said branded the shooting an "execution" and said there "was no threat to (the police officers') lives."
"There was no threat to their lives during the shooting, and in fact, the shooting wasn't done from inside the vehicle. This was an execution," Tibi said. "They were shooting to kill, not to neutralize. It's clearly seen in the video. They would never shoot a young Jewish man who attacked an officer."
In a video documenting the Kafr Kanna shooting, Hamdan was seen approaching a police car containing four police officers. He hit one of the window panes with a knife, and when the officers exited the vehicle, he began to retreat.
The video then shows one of the officers shooting and wounding him. Hamdan was dragged to the vehicle and was treated by paramedics before being taken to HaEmek Hospital in Afula, where he died.
"There was no threat to their lives during the shooting, and in fact, the shooting wasn't done from inside the vehicle. This was an execution," Tibi said. "They were shooting to kill, not to neutralize. It's clearly seen in the video. They would never shoot a young Jewish man who attacked an officer."
Ahead of a strike to be held by Arab Israelis and further demonstrations, police raised the alert level to the third-highest possible.
The decision was made after an assessment made by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino out of concern that the rioting could spread to other Arab and mixed communities.
A general strike in Arab towns was called on Sunday, including businesses and educational facilities.
In response to demands that Tibi help calm the tension in the Arab sector, Tibi said, "I'm not a calm-making contractor. We did not incite the situation. It's the Jewish ministers – Bennett, Lieberman, Netanyahu – who are instigating and causing escalation. Forty-eight Arabs have been shot by police, security forces, or civilians since the events of October, 2000.
"The police treat the Arab public as enemies who need to be eliminated. You can't disconnect this from the bigger picture. The Internal Security Minister declared that every incident should end in a killing. Perhaps the police officers in Kafr Kanna got the message. We have a problem with the police Investigation Unit, it is necessary for an outside agency to investigate and for the attorney general to intervene," Tibi continued.
Former internal security minister and head of Shin Bet, Avi Dichter, expressed an opposing view, saying that "more than a few Israeli-Arabs have a primary interest in ensuring that certain areas stay inaccessible to the authorities."
Regarding the shooting of Hamdan, Dichter said, "It's a serious mistake to analyze the incident based on video footage. The circumstances of such an event are much broader. The Police Investigation Unit are investigating the entire incident.
"There are very clear rules of engagement: when a person is in danger, from someone with a knife or other weapon, he is entitled, according to procedure and the law, to stop him, including opening fire and killing him," said Dichter.
Dichter also referred to the escalation of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, saying, "The situation is explosive. Both intifadas were not 'planned'. The events at the Temple Mount are a recipe for escalation, to the point of another intifada. We learned at human cost that every incident at the Temple Mount raises the level of violence. Our forces are dealing with disorganized events. This is not something where intelligence can guide police to a particular location. When the Temple Mount is open, it should be open to all, and when it is closed, it (should be) closed to all."
