Israel's Questions About Abu Rahma Have Yet To Be Refuted

The discrepancies in the Palestinian story of how Abu Rahma died have yet to be resolved:

Nowadays, there is no diplomatic process and that is exactly why such operations are all the more dangerous. While the IDF does not enter Ramallah anymore in broad daylight due to the lull in terrorism and outstanding ties and cooperation it has established with Palestinian security forces, in the absence of peace talks – every mishap and every botched operation will be used as ammo by the Palestinian Authority against Israel.

This is the case with the death of 35-year-old Jawahar Abu Rahma. The Palestinians claim Abu Rahma was killed by IDF-fired tear gas during an anti-security barrier demonstration near Bilin on Friday. The IDF has pointed to serious discrepancies with the Palestinian claims to the point that it might be possible that Abu Rahma wasn’t even at the demonstration.


Until a picture of Abu Rahma at the demonstration is brought forward, the IDF questions will remain intact. The basic question of what she really died from has also yet to be answered. Yes, the Palestinians now admit that she was hospitalized in the past. But no, it was not due to cancer as the type of medicines she received on Friday might indicate.

According to Lt.-Col. (res.) Dr. Maurice Rogev, former head of the IDF’s Legal Medical Bureau, the only real way to determine if someone was killed by tear gas is through an autopsy, which was apparently not done in the case of Abu Rahma. Most lives, Rogev explained, would not be at risk by tear gas, but those of people with a preexisting heart or respiratory condition would be.

Was this the case with Abu Rahma? Unclear.

Perhaps the problem the pro-Palestinian apologists are having is that they are not used to having Israel push back and demanding answers. Instead, they are used to Israel accepting Palestinian claims at face value--as the media continues to do:

What is interesting to note is the way the IDF has pushed back against this story. The credit, in this case, goes to OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrachi, a no-nonsense tank officer who has decided to fight back against PA efforts to delegitimize Israel and particularly the IDF.

...Some people have drawn comparisons between Abu Rahma and the Muhammad al-Dura affair. The main difference is that in 2000 the IDF did not overly challenge the Palestinian and international claims that its soldiers had killed the 12-year-old boy in Gaza. This likely contributed to al-Dura being turned into an icon still used today against Israel.

For this reason and others, Mizrachi ordered his staff on Saturday to immediately investigate the story of Abu Rahma’s death. While the truth has yet to come out, one thing is clear – Israel is not giving up this time without a fight.

So look for the pro-Palestinian apologists to continue their barrage of ad hominem attacks and accusations. But also keep an eye out to see if they also offer proof that actually substantiates that Abu Rahma was anywhere near those protests. So far they have not.

Unlike the case of al Dura, where Israel was not assertive and it took years to finally disprove it, Israel is fighting back this time.

And from the way the other side is screaming, it is clear they are not used to that.

Technorati Tag: Abu Rahma.