BICOM

An autopsy on bus driver Yousef al-Ramouni confirmed his death as a suicide and determined that it is not considered suspicious.

The autopsy was carried out at Israel’s Abu-Kabir medical centre. A Palestinian pathologist appointed by Mr al-Ramouni’s family took part in the autopsy.

“The signs we saw made us suspect that this was a suicide, and that was a terrible surprise for us. We hadn’t noticed any signs of distress,”commented an official from the Egged bus company who found the driver hanging in a bus at the depot on Sunday night. Paramedics tried to revive him unsuccessfully.

The autopsy found no suspicious marks on Mr al-Ramouni’s body or any indication of a struggle. Palestinian media claim that bruises were seen on his body, but these were likely the result of CPR by paramedics.

Mr al-Ramouni’s family, however, have refused to accept the conclusions of the autopsy and claim that he must have been murdered by “Jewish settlers”. Officials in the Palestinian Authority have also taken this position; PLO Spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi blamed the death on the “crimes of the settlers.” There was a small riot at his funeral last night, and Palestinian bus drivers joined a wildcat strike yesterday and today.