Video shows Israeli soldier kneeling on the neck of an elderly Palestinian man
Israeli soldier kneels on the neck of Khairi Hannoun, a 65-year-old peaceful Palestinian protestor. The image has sparked outrage and comparison to the brutal treatment of George Floyd, a black American man who was killed by a police officer using the exact same maneuver. Source
A recent video of an Israeli soldier kneeling on the neck of a 65-year-old Palestinian man has circulated on social media, sparking outrage at the use of excessive force by Israeli troops against peaceful Palestinian protestors. The incident occurred last Tuesday in the West Bank. Khairi Hannoun was protesting the illegal confiscation of Palestinian land and Israeli settlements built in Palestine.
Israel is planning to build an industrial park on Palestinian land. In pursuit of this, Israel has forced Palestinians to demolish their own homes and become refugees, or pay a fine for Israeli forces to demolish their homes. In doing so, Israel is violating the Fourth Geneva Convention, and building the park on Palestinian land while uprooting Palestinians from their homes is considered a war crime by the International Criminal Court. While protesting Israel’s land settlements, the Palestinian flag Hannoun was holding was snatched by the Israeli soldier shortly before Hannoun was wrestled to the ground. In the traumatic event, Hannoun was forced to stay frozen under the soldier to avoid further pressure to his neck.
Human rights activists have likened the incident to the case of George Floyd, in which former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of Floyd for almost 9 minutes resulting in his death. Fortunately, Hannoun was pulled out by protestors to avoid further injury. There has been a long history of solidarity between Black and Palestinian liberation. Prominent Black activists, such as Angela Davis, have overtly promoted their support for Palestine as there is an acknowledgement that both groups' struggle for freedom is intertwined.
After the death of George Floyd, Palestinians in the West Bank were among the first to denounce Floyd’s killing. This solidarity came amid protests against Israeli forces for the murder of Eyad al-Hallaq, a 32 year old autistic Palestinian man who was killed by Israeli forces for not stopping at a checkpoint in Jerusalem, despite his caregiver screaming “he’s disabled.” Al-Hallaq was reportedly shouting “Black Lives Matter” and “Palestinian Lives Matter” when Israeli forces gunned him down.
Multiple international human rights organizations have condemned Israel for using excessive force against Palestinian protestors. Human Rights Watch notes that Israel continues “to enforce severe and discriminatory restrictions on Palestinians human rights”. Amnesty International has described Israeli forces as “trigger-happy” and have reported on a number of cases in which peaceful Palestinian protestors suffer at the hands of the Israeli forces. Israel refutes such claims, arguing the use of force against Palestinian protestors is adequate and needed for the situations that arise amidst protests. Nonetheless, the incident concerning Hannoun is currently under further investigation.
Khairi Hannoun’s treatment is not an isolated incident. There have been countless cases in which Israeli troops have used excessive force against Palestinian protestors. Samir Awad, a 16-year-old student was chased by Israeli soldiers and became trapped in fences between Israeli and Palestinian land. Despite not posing a threat at the time of his death soldiers fired at Awad resulting in his death. Saleh Amarin, aged 15, was shot in the head by Israeli forces. Amarin was protesting in a Bethlehem refugee camp when he approached a nine-meter high security wall. Like Awad, Amarin posed no threat to Israeli forces at the time of his death.
The list of Palestinian victims at the hands of the brutal Israeli regime is endless. The everyday violence and suffering endured by the Palestinian people is a flagrant violation of international human rights, many of which are overlooked by the international community, including Israel’s powerful western allies such as the US, and many European nations.
As the violence against Palestinians continues with Israel annexing land in the Palestinian West Bank, it is uncertain how relations will continue between the Palestinian protestors and the Israeli forces. The violence against Palestinians, as well as the confiscation of Palestinian land, has been reported by a number of international human rights organizations, such as the UN, although little has been done to punish Israeli forces for its ongoing human rights abuses against Palestinians.