BICOM

Key Points

• The Shin Bet security agency has confirmed that six individuals arrested for the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khedir were Jewish Israeli extremists.
• News of the murder sparked violent demonstrations in East Jerusalem late last week, which have spread to some Arab towns in Israel and parts of the West Bank.
• Israeli society has been united in expressing the strongest possible condemnation of the murder, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the act as “despicable” in a condolence call to the victim’s father.

How significant are the violent demonstrations in Israeli-Arab areas?

Sustained violent demonstrations among Israeli-Arab communities are unusual. The numbers involved in demonstrations in the north of the country have been relatively small, and local leaders have met publicly with government ministers and called for calm. There are some assessments that the spread of disturbances to Bedouin communities in the south may be more organised, and it will remain to be seen if they peter out or continue to escalate.

Fortunately, so far there has been no repeat of fatalities such as those which occurred among Arab-Israelis during major disturbances at the outbreak of the Second Intifada in October 2000, reflecting improvements in policing since that time.

Whilst there are continuing efforts by the Israeli government and NGOs to better integrate the Arab minority into mainstream Israeli society and the economy, there are considerable gaps, and deep underlying tensions between the state and the Arab minority which are exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The disturbances among Arab-Israelis are not directly linked to the escalation of rocket fire from armed groups in the Gaza Strip. However, the desire not to fuel anger among the Arab population of Israel, East Jerusalem and the West Bank may be a factor for the Israeli cabinet in deciding whether to launch a major military operation to stop the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

How has Israeli society reacted to the murder of Muhammed Abu Khedir

Israeli society has united in its condemnation of the murder.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with victim’s father and said: “I wish to express the shock Israeli citizens and I feel by the terrible murder of your son. … We’ve acted immediately to find the murderers; they will be brought to trial and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We reject any brutal behavior, and the murder of your son is despicable and cannot be accepted by any person.”

Outgoing President Shimon Peres and incoming President Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin authored a joint article in Monday morning’s Yediot Ahronot in which they wrote:

“In the State of Israel there is no difference between blood and blood.  The democratic State of Israel sanctifies the moral right to life and the equal right of all human beings to be different.  The murderer of a young man or woman, a Jew or an Arab, is an act that cannot be accepted. … The choice is in our hands: To give in to the destructive worldview posed to us by the racists and the extremists, or to fight it unconditionally; to give in to wild and vicious Muslim or Jewish terrorism—or to put an end to it by all means possible.”

The family members of the three Israeli teenagers abducted and murdered by Hamas operatives in the West Bank, most publicly the family of Naftali Frenkel, have themselves promoted a message opposing incitement and hatred and asked politicians to do the same. There has even been a phone conversation between Hussein Abu Khedir, the father of murdered Palestinian teenager, and Yishai Frenkel, the uncle of Naftali Frenkel, arranged by Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat. A group of Jewish-Israeli students organised by the pro-peace ‘Tag Meir’ group plan to visit the mourning tent of the Abu Khedir family on Tuesday.

In recent days there have been demonstrations by Israeli groups calling for peace and reconciliation, countering public demonstrations by extreme rightist groups and anti-Arab incitement in social media. The IDF moved swiftly last week to prosecute four soldiers involved in anti-Arab incitement on Facebook. The killing has also sparked criticism of some right-wing politicians and public figures, who are accused of inciting against Arabs.

Who is responsible for the murder?

Although the exact identities of the suspects remain under a gag order, the Shin Bet security agency confirmed that six individuals arrested were Jewish Israeli extremists. According to police, the suspects are from Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and the West Bank settlement of Adam. Some are reported to be minors. Israeli Channel Two news reported that the six are not part of an organised extremist group, but are radical youths. A Petach Tikva court on Sunday ruled that five of the suspects will be detained for an additional eight days and the final suspect an additional five days whilst the investigation continues.

What has been Israel’s response to the beating of a Palestinian-American teen?

After footage emerged showing two Israeli border police beating American-Palestinian teenager Tariq Khedir – the cousin of Mohammed Abu Khedir – Israel’s Ministry of Justice announced that the Police Internal Investigations Department had opened an investigation. Mark Regev, Spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN over the weekend, “Obviously it is forbidden under Israeli law to beat up a suspect who has been handcuffed or something like that. That should not happen.”

The teen has been released from police custody on house arrest where he is expected to remain until his return to the United States.