Equality Center Disputes Police Account of 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 officer involved be suspended and prosecuted. The center stated that circulated video evidence contradicts the police's narrative and raises serious questions about the officer's conduct and the support received from police leadership.

The footage does not show Mahamid posing a direct threat to the officer at the moment the shots were fired, yet the incident 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. He questioned the seriousness of investigations when police kill Arab citizens, citing the center's experience with over 60 cases where Arab citizens were killed by police, noting that the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash) often fails to conduct thorough and professional inquiries.

Farah criticized the perceived ease with which officers use their weapons against Arab citizens, followed by treating such incidents as routine procedural matters. The center calls for the preservation of all evidence, an investigation into all involved parties, and a detailed examination of the decision to open fire. The Equality Center has offered to support 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. They are demanding the immediate suspension of the officer responsible for Mahamid's death pending the completion of the investigation.