Beit Ommar: They killed his child and immediately took his working permit

Life in the shadow of the army pillbox post at Beit Ommar has already cost the lives of nine children. That is how occupation looks and behaves. Last week, 11-year-old Mohammad Al Alimi was murdered by Israeli soldiers.

The family’s story kept me up nights so we decided to pay them a condolence visit. I know the grandfather from the Bereaved Families Forum. His journalist son was killed 20 years ago. His son and his grandson and both innocent civilians.

The soldiers who fired at the famiy were standing guard at the post below the pillbox. Beneath that post is a babies’ cemetery. A short while before the shooting another family buried their baby there. The soldiers were certain that the second car was coming to shoot them. Two cars together – deadly danger…

 The car in which Mohammad was killed also contained his two sisters and brother, all under the age of 12. The soldiers shot at the car driven by Mohammad’s father. He heard the shots and yelled to the kids to get down to the floor. But Mohammad was already hit. A direct hit at his neck.

Mohammad’s grandfather has a beautiful nursery. He tells me that the threat to his life gets the better of his desire to grow things. ‘We keep getting shot at’.

Mohammad’s father tells me that his work permit in Israel has now been taken from him. Now there is no son and no livelihood… And no one comes to apologize, to say that the ‘most moral army in the world’ simply made a mistake.

I sensed no desire for revenge. Only horrible sorrow and heavy mourning, and a paralyzing sense of loss and helplessness. I sat with them, wordless.