Brother of Jordanian doctor killed in embassy demands justice, not money
In an interview with Ynet, Bassem al-Hamarna, whose brother Bashar was accidentally killed by an Israeli embassy guard during a stabbing, demands justice for his brother, not money; 'We do not want money. We don't even want a trial, he is guilty and he must receive at least two life sentences because I know that you do not have the death penalty.'
"The important thing is that he is dead. It was a murder in cold blood, it was murder," said Bassem in an interview with Ynet Monday evening.
Ziv Moyal, an Israeli embassy guard in Jordan, shot and killed 17-year-old Muhammad al-Jawawdeh after the young man stabbed Ziv with a screwdriver allegedly during a dispute.
Al-Hamarna, the landlord in the building where the stabbing took place, was killed after being struck with a stray bullet.
"Even if the young man who was killed with my brother attacked the guard with a screwdriver or with something else, this was security officer who could have acted more wisely and didn't need to use a weapon and kill someone.
"He is a security officer who is trained in karate, judo and god only knows what other skills he has. He could have handled the young man. He did what he did and shot my brother accidentally or not."
King Abdullah II visited the al-Hamarna family, Christians from the town of Madaba, south of Amman. According to Bassem, "They told us the government would follow the issues at all levels of government and speak with Israel."
Like the king and many others in the kingdom, Bassem was disappointed by images showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphatically welcoming Ziv back to Israel.
"Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed him back from Amman after he committed coldblooded murder. Netanyahu's welcoming was shameful. After a Jordanian soldier killed little girls at Naharayim, King Hussein went to console the families in Israel. The Jordanian soldier went to prison for 20 years and he wasn't welcomed back like a hero."
It is worth noting that Ahmad Daqamseh, the Jordanian soldier in question, did receive a hero's welcome after being released from prison in March 2017.
Regarding reports that the Israeli government will compensate the family, Bassem indicated that the family has received no such offer from neither the Israeli government nor the Jordanian government.
However, according to Bassem, "We do not want money. We don't even want a trial, he is guilty and he must receive at least two life sentences because I know that you do not have the death penalty.
"This is not a matter of relations between two countries. This man did not murder on embassy grounds, but rather, he murdered by brother in a building close to the embassy, on Jordanian territory. Therefore, he should have been tried in Jordan, but he has immunity and he should be tried in Israel."
Meanwhile, Israel's State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan instructed the relevant authorities to hand over material relating to the incident, and at the end of the investigation the Jordanian authorities will be updated on the developments and findings.
