The Israeli occupation “flat out lied” about reaching an agreement in the case of an elderly Palestinian-American man who died following a violent arrest by Israeli forces, his family and the legal team said.
On January 12, the 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Abul-Majid As’ad died after being detained and brutally beaten by Israeli occupation forces who also blindfolded and handcuffed him during a nighttime military raid on the village of Jiljilyya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The elderly man died of a stress-induced heart attack as the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed in a statement.
The family subsequently filed a lawsuit against the case in Israeli occupation courts.
On October 9, the Israeli forces said that they had settled with the family, agreeing to pay them a sum of 500,000 shekels, approximately $141,000. However, the family’s US-based attorney, Stanley Cohen, vehemently denied that the family had accepted any legal settlement.
According to reports, Cohen said the state offered the family compensation on more than one occasion, including the 500,000 shekel amount, which was outright rejected months ago.
“The family is not interested in a monetary settlement which will end the investigation,” Cohen told Middle East Eye (MEE), adding that their stance on the case is that the Israeli military “murdered” Asaad.
“They demand justice,” Cohen said. “The family is insistent that their father did not die in vain. Even if Israel wrote a check for $40 million tomorrow, the family’s not settling. It’s not about money.”
Omar’s cousin, Abd al-Ilah Asaad, 60, also told MEE that the family had not accepted Israel’s offer for a monetary settlement. When asked why he believed that the government released a statement claiming as such, he said, “Israel said we accepted their money to make our case weaker. They want to shut down discourse about his death in the international media.”
While the family is pursuing legal action against the Israeli military and state locally, Cohen is representing the family in a simultaneous claim in the US.
Asaad was born in Jiljilya, north of Ramallah, but lived in the US for 40 years between Chicago and Milwaukee. He returned to the West Bank in 2009 to retire with his wife.
Cohen says a request has been submitted to the US Department of Justice for support through a mutual legal assistance treaty, which would enable US law enforcement authorities and prosecutors to obtain evidence, information, and testimony from relevant Israeli agencies regarding Asaad’s case.
In February, the Israeli forces said their investigation found that Asaad’s death resulted from a “moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers”.
“We are insisting that punitive damages be imposed, which will send a loud and clear message to the Israeli military, Israeli government and Israeli courts and prosecutors that there is a very heavy price to pay that has absolutely nothing with compensatory damages,” Cohen said.
Following the 80-year-old’s killing, the US State Department asked ‘Israel’ for a clarification and expressed its “condolences about this tragedy.”
Asked for comment on the matter during a daily press briefing, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “We have been in touch with Mr. As’ad’s family to express our condolences about this tragedy. We’re providing all of the consular assistance to the family at this time.”
“We’ve also been in touch with the government of Israel to seek clarification about this incident, and as you may have seen the Israeli Defense Forces have indicated that there’s an ongoing investigation into the matter.”
“We support a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident,” Price added.
At least five U.S. lawmakers have also demanded a probe into the killing of the elderly Palestinian-American man.
“Two days ago, Israeli troops stopped a car driven by 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Abdulmajeed Asaad. They dragged him from the car, beat him, and left him on the ground to die,” tweeted Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first and lone Palestinian-American serving in Congress and was born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents. “This is outrageous!” she added, calling on the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to investigate the incident.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who represents As’ad’s state of Wisconsin, called the incident a “horrible tragedy that demands a thorough investigation.” She extended her condolences to his family, “including those in Wisconsin who are mourning this tragic loss and deserve answers.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar also shared an Instagram Story regarding the incident, posting “Life taken under the cruelty of occupation. When will these victims get accountability?”
Rep. Debbie Dingell joined the call for a full and thorough investigation, calling the circumstances surrounding his death “gravely concerning.”
Rep. Betty McCollum, long one of Congress’ more outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, called As’ad “another victim of this cruel occupation.”
Rep. Marie Newman, the first-term lawmaker who has quickly fashioned herself into a leading advocate for Palestinians, said she was “deeply disturbed” and echoed the State Department’s support of an investigation into the incident.
His Congresswoman, Rep. Gwen Moore, also tweeted, “I’m saddened to learn of Omar Abdalmajeed As’ad’s death and send my deepest condolences to his family. We need an investigation to understand what led to this tragedy.”
