Israel to pay $140,000 compensation after death of elderly Palestinian man – Middle East Monitor
Middle East MonitorOct 10, 2022
Israel's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that it had reached a settlement to compensate the family of Omar Asaad, a Palestinian-American man who died in January this year after being detained by Israeli troops.
This marks a rare case of compensation paid to Palestinians, with Israeli authorities agreeing to pay about $141K to Asaad's family if they, in turn, agree to drop the lawsuit. His brother, however, denied the family had accepted any offer.
Omar Asaad was brutally murdered during an IDF operation as part of Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank. His family will be compensated, but only because he was a US citizen and Washington pressured Israel. The truth is that human rights abuses like this one are violations of international law and daily occurrences in Israeli-occupied Palestine.
The IDF soldiers involved in the death of Omar Asaad failed in their responsibility to care for those in their custody. However, although they should have provided Asaad with medical attention, it was ultimately Asaad's poor health that caused his death. Asaad's family is being rightfully compensated for this hardship, and Israeli authorities are responding appropriately to this tragedy.