The father of 23-year-old Hussein Abu Joda said he will file a complaint with Israel’s Police Internal Investigations Department after his son was shot on Monday during a police operation in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Abu Joda near Kseifa in southern Israel. The father, Hamed Abu Joda, said he witnessed the shooting and insists his son was unarmed and was not wanted for questioning.
Speaking to Walla, he described what he called chaos in the village: “There was complete disorder here, shouting, screams of children and women, it is impossible to describe in words. I felt like I was in southern Lebanon, but I am a citizen like every citizen.” He said two vehicles, one private and one police, arrived, officers opened fire “without any reason,” and used live fire, tear gas and stun grenades. According to him, when his son came out of the house to see what was happening, police shot him in the neck.
Abu Joda said officers prevented villagers from treating the wounded man for several minutes. He claimed that when children tried to reach him, police began firing in all directions, including at cars and windows, and that more forces were called in. He said the village still has “a pile of bullets, rubber bullets and tear gas.” He also said he had not yet seen his son, who is due to undergo surgery at the hospital today.
The father rejected the police account and said, “There was no gun on him.” He accused police of excessive and discriminatory enforcement against Bedouins, asking why they act differently at Haredi protests and saying, “This is racism of the first degree.” Police said the operation was aimed at arresting a suspect seen armed with a weapon who endangered the force, that officers fired to remove the threat and arrest him, and that an armed man with a magazine was detained. Police added that a crowd gathered and officers worked to restore order.
