Palestinians ask United Nations to Investigate Israeli “Extrajudicial Executions”

Sa’ib Erekat, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian chief negotiator with Israel, has asked the United Nations to open an investigation into what he termed “extrajudicial executions” carried out by Israeli soldiers. Erekat told UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolai Mladenov that since last September there have been 207 such cases. The term refers to situations in which lethal force was used arguably after the threat had been removed. But apparent by the number is the inclusion of every case since the Palestinian campaign of violence in the streets began about that time in which the assailant was killed by Israeli security personnel or armed civilians while in the act of attempting to kill a soldier or civilian. Thirty Israelis have been killed in knife attacks, shootings or vehicular homicides. The issue gained new momentum last week when an Israeli soldier was filmed shooting a Palestinian assailant after he was already neutralized. Although the soldier was condemned by Israelis from senior officials to citizens-at-large, the Palestinians say they don’t trust Jerusalem to carry out a thorough investigation. Erekat also raised the issue of Israel’s alleged “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people through the demolition of the homes of those who carry out terror attacks; withholding the bodies of terrorists killed while attacking Israelis; and exiling those convicted of violent acts to the Gaza Strip.