Palestinian Women Protest Latest Suspected ‘Honor Killing’

Women have been holding rallies in the West Bank demanding action by the Palestinian Authority against so-called honor killings, in which relatives murder women perceived to have besmirched the family’s reputation through dishonorable activity. The latest rally was a march through the streets of Ramallah on Wednesday after the death last month of 21-year-old Isra’a Ghrayeb of Beit Sahur, near Bethlehem. Palestinian media reports say Ghrayeb died of spinal injuries after falling from a balcony while her brothers pursued her through the family home. She reportedly had uploaded a video of her meeting with a man who had proposed marriage, the video appearing on a social-media account. The accounts include denials by the family, which claimed in a statement that she suffered from a “mental condition” and died of a “heart attack following an accidental fall.” The PA says several of Ghrayeb’s relatives have been questioned. On Tuesday, women held a protest outside the office of PA Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh.