The UN's human rights chief said on Tuesday he was “truly
shocked” by the Israeli army's killing of a wheelchair-bound Palestinian
protester in Gaza, and demanded an “independent and impartial
investigation”.
Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, a 29-year-old who
lost both his legs in an Israeli attack a decade ago, was among five
Palestinians killed on Friday during protests against US President
Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
In
a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al
Hussein slammed Trump's decision as “dangerously provocative” and blamed
it for the violence.
Following an initial investigation,
the Israeli army said on Monday it had not deliberately targeted him
and had found no evidence of any “moral or professional failures”.
The
UN office said Abu Thurayeh was among hundreds of people who marched
across farmland towards the fence separating Gaza from Israel and
appeared to have been shot in the head when he was 20 metres away from
it.
“The facts gathered so far by my staff in Gaza
strongly suggest that the force used against Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was
excessive,” Zeid said. “As far as we can see, there is nothing
whatsoever to suggest that Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was posing an imminent
threat of death or serious injury when he was killed.
“Given
his severe disability, which must have been clearly visible to those
who shot him, his killing is incomprehensible — a truly shocking and
wanton act.”
In video footage recorded early on Friday,
Abu Thurayeh could be seen holding the Palestinian flag and giving the
victory sign to Israeli soldiers across the border.
'Dangerously provocative'
Israel seized the largely-Arab eastern sector of Jerusalem
during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claiming both sides of
the city as its “eternal and undivided capital”. But the Palestinians
want the eastern sector as capital of their future state and have been
infuriated by Trump's decision to recognise the city as the Israeli
capital.
The UN rights office said Israeli forces had
used live fire to disperse the protesters, indicating that the violence
could be “traced directly back to the unilateral US announcement on the
status of Jerusalem, which breaks international consensus and was
dangerously provocative.”
Zeid also called for “an independent and impartial investigation” to ensure perpetrators were held accountable.
On
Monday, the Israeli army said its troops had been faced with a “riot”
which was “extremely violent and included thousands of rioters.” In
response, a “few controlled shootings were carried out towards main
instigators,” but “no live fire was aimed at Abu Thuraya,” it said in a
statement.
“It is impossible to determine whether Abu
Thuraya was injured as a result of riot dispersal means or what caused
his death,” it said, adding: “The initial investigation indicates that
no moral or professional failures were identified.“
