Israeli authorities released to house arrest four of five Jewish settlers, on Thursday, held on suspicion of involvement in killing a Palestinian mother last October.
Aisha Muhammad Talal al-Rabi, 47, a mother of eight children, from the Bidya village near Salfit in the northern occupied West Bank, was killed and her husband was injured, after Jewish settlers hurled rocks at their vehicle near the Zaatara checkpoint in Nablus in the northern West Bank.
Israeli authorities arrested the five settlers on December 30, however, did not confirm the arrests until earlier this week due to a gag order, which forbids the public disclosure of information or comment on a particular matter.
An Israeli court released to house arrest on Thursday four Jewish settlers suspected of killing, Aisha al-Rabi, a 47-year-old Palestinian mother-of-seven, in October in the occupied West Bank, only a few days after their arrest last week.https://t.co/9krOoEfQNq
— Abrar Khan (@khanabrar643) January 10, 2019
According to a statement by Shin Bet, the remand of the fifth Jewish settler has been extended for another six days.
Shin Bet added that the five, who are students at the Pri Haaretz religious seminary in the Rechelim settlement in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, were arrested “after intelligence efforts connecting them to the death of al-Rabi.”
The Israeli court released on Thursday morning a majority of settlers accused of causing the death of the martyr Aisha al-Rabi of Salfit about two months ago.#قروب_فلسطيني#قروب_جزائسطين#GroupPalestine
GroupePalestinien— ??? يَٰـﮧاسٌٍـمٍٰيَٰـﮧنٍٰ ??? (@8arab__ui) January 10, 2019
The Sin Bet noted:
“The four were released after it was decided that the investigation could continue while they were under house arrest and other limiting conditions.”
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the killing of Aisha by Jewish settlers and called it “a heinous crime that cannot go unpunished.”
WAFA: National Reconciliation Govt spox Yusuf al-Mahmoud said the release of the settlers accused of killing Aisha al-Rabi shows the extent of the occupation's use of settlers as one of its tools to control our people + shed their blood in their homeland..https://t.co/ABiiuaGGN4
— Marian Houk (@Marianhouk) January 10, 2019
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.
Palestinian towns and villages in the Nablus area are surrounded by Jewish settlements and outposts, many of which are protected by the Israeli military and have gained notoriety for being comprised of the most extremist settlers.
Statement by ambassador Rawan Sulaiman on the killing of Aisha al-Rabi by settlers in occupied Palestine
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Released 13/10/2018 pic.twitter.com/A0FYlrpWC3— Palestine in NL (@PalMissionNL) October 13, 2018
However, the Palestinian government has no jurisdiction over Israelis in the West Bank, and violent acts carried out by Israeli settlers often occur in the presence of Israeli military forces who rarely act to protect Palestinian residents.
( Ma’an, PC, Social Media)
