Awdah Hathaleen, a resident of the occupied West Bank, was shot in the chest by an Israeli settler on Monday while he was standing by a fence in the Umm al-Kheir community center.
As people rushed over to help him, the devoted 31-year-old activist and father of three slammed to the ground. Then, a carmel-area illegal settlement was evacuated and his car taken away.
According to Islam, Israeli authorities have refused to release his body for burial, instead telling his family on Monday night that he has passed away, denying them the option of setting him to rest right away.
Mourning
Anti-occupation activists from all over the world gathered in silence to pay their respects to Awdah, a key figure in Masafer Yatta’s non-violent resistance against settler violence.
According to witnesses, they later said, “I’m glad I did it,” after being shot dead by Israeli settler Yinon Levi in the yard where Awdah was standing.
Awdah’s blood was surrounded by rocks, and there were people mourning there as if paying their respects.
The elders sat in silence around the circle, waiting for word about whether the Israeli army would return Awdah’s body.
Awdah’s cousin Eid Hathaleen, 41, told Al Jazeera about his “truly beloved” relative, and he was the one who was the victim of his murder in cold blood.
Alaa Hathaleen, 26, Awdah’s cousin and brother-in-law, said, “There was no one in Umm al-Kheir who contributed as much to the community in Umm al-Kheir as Awdah.”
“It’s unbelievable that Awdah won’t be here tomorrow and I wake up.”
Watan, Watan, Muhammad, and Kinan, age seven months old, are the three children Awdah had, according to several of his friends and relatives, who told Al Jazeera. He loved them above everything else in the world.
Alaa said, “He was a great father.” “It would appeal to him more than to my mother,” he said.
Jewish activist Micol Hassan told Al Jazeera over the phone that Awdah and his wife Micol had married in 2019. “His wedding was a beautiful occasion in 2019,” he said. For it, we organized vehicles that came from all over Palestine.
She continued, “He loved his kids so much.” They cried and inquired about their father’s whereabouts whenever he put them to sleep.
Hassan, who has been detained by Israeli authorities for the past two years, fondly remembered how much Awdah enjoyed Italian coffee and how she would always bring him packs of Italian coffee.
Even though Umm al-Kheir’s facilities are severely degraded and the only thing the locals have is a paved yard with worn-out goalposts, Awdah also adored football, giving it his all.
Awdah’s final moments were probably on the same battered football pitch, which may have been the area’s most popular gathering place.
Awdah and Alaa would sit down with him to talk about their hopes and projections for his favorite team, Real Madrid, regardless of how bad the settler attacks were, Alaa said.
“He had a passion for Real Madrid,” Alaa said. Real Madrid might have heard about Masafer Yatta if they knew how much he loved them.
activist and “radical humanist” who is peaceful.
Awdah has been an activist since he was 17 years old, fighting Israeli attempts to drive Masafer Yatta’s residents out of their homes and lands.
He welcomed numerous visiting activists who came to the occupied West Bank to support Palestinian activists and villagers, explained the situation there, and embraced their presence with his signature hospitality.
His most well-known collaboration with Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, who co-directed the documentary No Other Land, which won an Oscar this year, was his most well-known collaboration.
He is remembered as the most compassionate person with the kindest, most sincere heart, according to everyone who spoke to Al Jazeera.
They referred to him as “tayyeb, salim,” using Arabic expressions for “kind” and “peaceful.”
Hassan told Al Jazeera that Awdah would tell anyone who visited Umm al-Kheir that he didn’t choose to become an activist because it just happened, adding that he welcomed everyone, regardless of religion or nationality.
She claimed that “he was a radical humanist.”
Alaa continued, “He wanted the occupation to end without suffering,” adding that Awdah was always considering what the future would bring for his children and others.
Because of that, Eid told Al Jazeera, he made the decision to study English. To help them reach out to more people, he wanted the village children to have high education and be able to tell their stories in English.
Eid remarked, “He taught all of his students to love and welcome everyone, regardless of their faith or origin.”
In the community center yard, a group of his students huddled together among the mourners to remember their teacher, whom he taught English at the local school from grades one through nine.
Nine-year-old Mosab remarked, “He would always try to make classes fun.
He laughed with his classmate Mohammed, 11;
Murdered by a raging settler
Umm al-Kheir is one of more than 30 villages and hamlets in Masafer Yatta in the West Bank, which has seen the effects of the settlement expansion and the associated violence more than once.
According to activist Mattan Berner-Kadish, who was present in Umm al-Kheir and provided a protective presence to the Palestinian community, the incident that led to Awdah’s death began the day before.
The villagers had agreed to coordinate the movement of the machinery with the settlers in order to avoid any damage to the village’s infrastructure when a digger was delivered to the illegal settlement.
However, the settler behind the machinery began rolling over other infrastructure and threatened to inflict further harm when he ran over a water pipe.
The operator struck one of the villagers in the head with the digger’s claw, dropping him semi-conscious to the ground as he tried to stop the machinery.
Awdah was standing in the community center yard, watching, and standing 10-15 meters (30-50 feet) away from the altercation.
Gunshots started to ring out in the chaos, and Yinon Levi was seen shooting at people by Berner-Kadish. He became aware that Awdah had been shot amid the panic and screams.
Odeh Hadalin, a remarkable activist who assisted us in making No Other Land in Masafer Yatta, was just shot in the lungs by an Israeli settler. Residents identified shooter as Yinon Levi, who has been given EU and US sanctions. In the video, he is wildly firing. pic. twitter.com/xH1Uo6L1wN
He informed Levi that he had shot someone and most likely killed him, and he attempted to calm him. Levi responded, “I’m glad I did it. “
Additionally, Berner-Kadish attempted to speak with the Israeli soldiers who had arrived on the scene, but three of them told Berner-Kadish that they wished they had shot Awdah.
Five members of the Hathaleen family were detained by the Israeli army following the murder. The Israeli army revoked any access to the area around Umm al-Kheir on Tuesday, limiting any access there.
Levi was placed under house arrest in Israel on Tuesday as part of his homicide charge.
For violent attacks on Palestinians, Levi was ordered to stop in Canada, the UK, and the US.
According to Alaa, the five Hathaleen men who were detained after Awdah’s death are still being held by Israel.
He wept and said, “What if the Israelites return Awdah’s body and they can’t pay their last respect to them?”
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply