Killing of Yacoub Abu Al-Qia'an

Yacoub Mousa[1] Abu Al-Qia'an (also translit: al-Kiyan, Qi'an, Alkian,[2] and al-Kaeean[3]) was a 47-year-old Israeli Bedouin school teacher who was killed by the police while houses in his home village Umm al-Hiran were being demolished in January 2017.

[5] The police were not only faulted on for shooting Abu Al-Qia'an and then not providing medical assistance, thereby, allowing him to bleed to death but also for labeling him a terrorist without proof, for allegedly shooting a sponge-tipped bullet at the head of Arab-Israeli politician Ayman Odeh who was at the scene, and for suppressing evidence that would have cleared Abu Al-Qia'an.

Israel undertook a program of relocating Negev Bedouins in the 1950s, causing the tribe to end up in the Wadi Atir area, northeast of Beersheba, in 1956.

[8] Despite permitting the tribe to settle Umm al-Hiran, the authorities classifies it as an unrecognized Bedouin village, meaning that they consider it illegally built.

The Joint List alleged the demolitions in Umm al-Hiram and other Arab towns were carried out to appease the right-wing that was unhappy with losing a settlement.

A non-violent protest had been organized, by, among others, Ayman Odeh, leader of the Arab-dominated Joint List party, to meet the demolition team.

[14] According to the autopsy report, Abu Al-Qia'an was hit with two bullets; one in the right knee, shattering it, and one in an artery in his chest, causing his death due to blood loss about fifteen minutes later.

[12] The police falsely claimed that Odeh's head injury was caused by protesters throwing stones and accidentally hitting him.

[18] During the day, five Arab-Israeli politicians, Hanin Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka, Osama Saadi, Ahmad Tibi, and Aida Touma-Sliman arrived in the village to show solidarity with the protesters.

[22][13] Witnesses insisted that the video corroborated their testimonies, but police and Israeli officials maintained that it showed that the car-ramming was deliberate.

"[20] "A vehicle driven by a terrorist from the Islamic Movement intended to strike a number of officers and carry out an attack," police spokesperson Mickey Rosenfeld said in a statement.

I hope you will have the courage and decency to apologize for the unholy balance you made between the police forces acting in all our names to enforce the law and the violent thieves who are backing a disgusting murder.

[25] At the funeral, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh asserted that Levi was the victim of a terror attack: "[Abu al-Qia'an] spread incitement at a school where six other teachers have been arrested for they affiliation with the Islamic State ...

"[14] On Twitter, Odeh shared a two-minute-long video analysis titled Visual Investigation: Police shooting, car ramming at Umm el-Hiran (Jan 18, 2017).

The video had been produced by British Forensic Architecture, led by Eyal Weizman of Goldsmiths, University of London, and Activestills and published the day before by the Israeli peace group +972 Magazine.

The report concluded that Abu Al-Qia'an bled to death, leading Ksenia Svetlova of Zionist Union to comment that "it's Azaria case number two," a reference to the Hebron shooting incident where an Israeli medic executed a subdued Palestinian attacker.

[14] Thousands of primarily Palestinian citizens of Israel demonstrated in the northern Wadi Ara against house demolitions and over the killing of Abu Al-Qia'an.

It concluded that the only evidence of Abu Al-Qia'an's alleged terror ties were Islamic education material found in his home.

[28] The police disputed that and, initially, claimed that Odeh was hit with stray stones thrown by protestors and that the officers in Umm al-Hiran weren't even equipped with weapons firing sponge-tipped bullets.

[29] The police's story was refuted by a witness, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, who wrote:[30] I was an eyewitness to the attack on MK [Member of Knesset - Israeli parliament] Ayman Odeh.

MK Oudeh was shot in the back by one of them, and fell to the ground.The police later denied that any statement had ever been issued regarding the circumstances of Odeh's injury.

"[31] Erdan hailed the report as a vindication, asserting that Odeh was a "lying lawbreaker who has fanned the flames and stood at the head of a violent group".

But closed the investigation in September 2018 with the motivation that "[e]ven with the assumption that the object that hit [Odeh] was fired by police, it could not be determined who of the officers had done so."

The documentary was based on new evidence obtained by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and included body camera footage from the police officers.

[34][35] On March 6, 2017, Minister of Agriculture, Uri Ariel, became the first politician to issue an apology over having accused Abu Al-Qia'an of terrorism.

[5] Abu Al-Qia'an's widow said the apology was "better late than never" but complained that her family was still homeless after the authorities had demolished their home over three years ago.