Equality Center Disputes Police Account in Arab Citizen's Killing

The Equality Center has condemned the killing of Alaa Mahamid, a resident of Umm al-Fahm, by police gunfire, demanding the immediate suspension and prosecution of the officer involved. The center stated that circulating video evidence contradicts the police's narrative of the incident, raising serious questions about the officer's conduct and the support received from police leadership.

The footage, according to the Equality Center, does not show Mahamid posing a direct threat to the officer at the moment the shots were fired, yet the encounter resulted in his death. Jafar Farah, director of the Equality Center, commented that this is not the first instance of a discrepancy between police accounts and factual evidence, referencing a previous case involving the killing of Murshid Abd al-Hai, whose file was closed by the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash).

Farah expressed skepticism about the seriousness of investigations when police kill Arab citizens, citing the center's experience with over 60 cases of Arab citizens killed by police. He asserted that Mahash often fails to conduct professional and serious investigations in such matters. The center criticized the perceived ease with which officers resort to lethal force against Arab citizens and the subsequent handling of these incidents as routine procedural matters.

The Equality Center called for the preservation of all evidence, a thorough investigation into all involved parties, and a detailed examination of the decision to use lethal force. The organization offered its support to Mahamid's family in pursuing the case and holding the officer, and anyone who provided unlawful cover or support, accountable. The center emphasized that the lives of Arab citizens are equally valuable and that those who use weapons under the guise of law must be subject to legal accountability.