FRESH AIR

IDF: No Israeli involvement in Palestinian boy’s death

Oct 12, 2022 | Ahron Shapiro

1600px Police Israel 9216

On October 7, the IDF announced the outcome of its investigation into the tragic death of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy Rayan Yasser Sliman in a village near Bethlehem at the end of September. Palestinians had initially claimed the boy had died of a fall when fleeing from Israeli soldiers, although details of their story actually changed several times, with a subsequent account claiming he died from a heart attack brought on by fear at the aggressive behaviour of Israeli soldiers, who had been chasing him, when they came to his house.

Reporting on the IDF’s response, Jerusalem Post military reporter Anna Ahronheim wrote:

According to the investigation by the IDF, the force entered the village and went to several buildings in order to identify the suspects. In one of the homes, the officer “recognized” the father of the family from the window of his house and called on him to come out along with his children in order to be questioned.

The military said that the father came along with two of his children and had a “short conversation, conducted in a respectful manner, without any contact and certainly without the use of verbal or physical violence” with the company commander.

The statement said that it was not possible to determine if Sliman was with the father during the conversation or the two older brothers, who may have been the ones who threw the stones.

While neither the IDF’s nor Sliman’s family’s account of the incident can be corroborated by independent witnesses, if the IDF’s story is accurate, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Palestinians have exaggerated or invented the culpability of Israelis for the natural or accidental deaths of Palestinians of all ages.

In 2020, Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi retweeted an accusation that an Israeli settler had murdered an eight-year-old Palestinian child who had drowned in a watery pit. In reality, not only was the drowning not caused by settlers, but Israeli paramedics had tried to save the child’s life. US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib initially retweeted, then quietly deleted the Tweet when the truth was revealed.

In 2011, Hamas blamed Israel for lethal “psychological trauma” in the case of a an 11-year-old girl, Abeer al-Iskafi, who had merely visited her father in prison.

Three years later, the Palestinian Authority blamed Israel for causing the death of PA Minister Ziad Abu Ein. He died of heart attack while attending a demonstration, but had a history of heart disease and had merely argued with Israelis at the scene, none of whom did anything aggressive or improper to cause Abu Ein’s attack.

Then in 2018, Hamas spread the false claim an infant who died as a result of a heart defect was killed during the “return marches”, to defame the IDF and Israel.

Perhaps the most notorious case, however, was that of Mohammed al-Dura in the Gaza Strip back in September 2000, who died in the crossfire between the IDF and Palestinian gunmen. An investigation later showed that only the Palestinian gunmen could have been responsible, given his position.

A curious aspect of the Sliman incident, given the history of exaggerated Palestinian claims of this sort, is the fact that the US Biden Administration jumped into the fray, demanding a thorough investigation into a matter that didn’t involve an American citizen and was so hotly contested. It remains to be seen if this is a residual affect of the Shareen Abu Akleh controversy, or whether it represents a shift by the State Department towards the Palestinians.

Illustrative photo: Wikipedia

RELATED ARTICLES


(image: Chinese Foreign Ministry)

Misunderstanding the Middle East in the wake of the Iran-Saudi deal

Mar 29, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Susan Abulhawa (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Abulhawa exposed by the ABC, which then buried the story

Mar 17, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Credit: Shutterstock

IAEA reports show Iran has almost reached nuclear weapons capabilities

Mar 15, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Ehud Yaari

Ehud Ya’ari on ABC Radio National: Israel’s judicial reforms controversy, and increasing West Bank violence

Mar 13, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR, In the media
Screenshot of John Menadue's blog

Why Russia apologists are often also the main pushers of anti-Israeli BDS

Mar 9, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Foreign Minister Penny Wong questioned on Iran before the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee on Feb. 16 (screenshot)

Australia needs to take more decisive action regarding Iranian threats against its citizens

Mar 1, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR

SIGN UP FOR AIJAC EMAILS

RECENT POSTS

The dancers who celebrated israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948 were in effect celebrating a major turning point in the long history of the Jewish people (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Dancing through History – a love story

Karam Taher as the title character in Farha (Screenshot)

Cinefile: Art or Propaganda?

1948 05 14 D410 054

Israel’s first 75 years: 15 Memorable Moments

Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters display their intentions towards Israel at a rally in Gaza City, October 2022 (Image: Anas Mohammed/Shutterstock)

Iranian proxies threaten during Ramadan

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a graduation ceremony of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Teheran, Iran (Image: Salampix/ABACA Press/TNS/Alamy Live News)

Australia should harden its response to Iran’s hostility

The dancers who celebrated israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948 were in effect celebrating a major turning point in the long history of the Jewish people (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Dancing through History – a love story

Karam Taher as the title character in Farha (Screenshot)

Cinefile: Art or Propaganda?

1948 05 14 D410 054

Israel’s first 75 years: 15 Memorable Moments

Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters display their intentions towards Israel at a rally in Gaza City, October 2022 (Image: Anas Mohammed/Shutterstock)

Iranian proxies threaten during Ramadan

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a graduation ceremony of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Teheran, Iran (Image: Salampix/ABACA Press/TNS/Alamy Live News)

Australia should harden its response to Iran’s hostility

SORT BY TOPICS