A week after security forces clashed violently with residents of Umm al- Hiran, tensions in the unrecognized Beduin village remained high. The anger in the air was palpable as locals and visitors congregated in the mourning tent for Yaqoub Musa Abu al-Qiyan, shot dead by police during protests as bulldozers moved in to begin demolishing the ramshackle settlement.
Police say al-Qiyan purposely rammed and killed an officer, Staff Sgt.-Maj. Erez Levi. Security authorities said after the incident that al-Qiyan was a member of the southern branch of the Islamic Movement and may have been inspired by Islamic State. However, local Beduin and Arab MKs reject the police version of events, saying he lost control of his vehicle after being shot and only then crashed into the officer.
“Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is a liar,” says Akram Abu al-Qiyan, a resident of Umm al-Hiran and nephew of the dead man. “We want an investigation into the killing.”
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