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Palestinian victims of Israeli settler attacks face battle for justice

From Al Jazeera · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Ziad Jilani, a Palestinian man, was killed by Israeli border police in occupied East Jerusalem in 2010.
  • An investigation by Israeli rights lawyers suggested the officer who shot him had previously expressed a desire to kill Arabs, but the case was closed due to lack of evidence.
  • Ziad's widow, Moira Jilani, continues to fight for justice, challenging the "terrorist" label applied to her husband and the lack of accountability for his death.

Sixteen years after Ziad Jilani’s death, his widow Moira Jilani still awaits justice, grappling with the aftermath of her husband's killing by Israeli border police in occupied East Jerusalem. Ziad was shot and killed on June 11, 2010, while driving home.

He didn’t have … hatred for anybody. He was just that kind of personality that drew you in.

— Moira JilaniShe described her late husband's inclusive and welcoming personality.

Witnesses told The Los Angeles Times that Ziad was caught between Israeli forces and stone-throwing Palestinian youths. A rock struck his windshield, causing him to swerve and lightly injure two police officers. As Ziad exited his vehicle, he was shot in the back, and then, while lying on the ground, was shot twice more in the head at close range by a border police officer.

An investigation by Israeli rights lawyers later claimed that the officer who fired the fatal shots, Maxim Vinogradov, had posted online about his desire to kill Arabs less than two weeks prior. However, a case against Vinogradov and his commanding officer was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, meaning neither has faced trial.

Just get ready, you and the girls. When I come back, I’ll just honk, and you come on down.

— Ziad JilaniThese were Ziad's last words to his wife before he was killed, promising a trip to the beach.

Moira Jilani remembers her husband for his laughter and his inclusive nature, recalling how he would bring her to Israeli b’nei mitzvahs and weddings. "He didn’t have … hatred for anybody. He was just that kind of personality that drew you in," she told Al Jazeera. On the day he died, Ziad had promised his daughters a trip to the beach, a promise that was instead fulfilled by his funeral.

Instead of going to the beach, we went to his funeral.

— Moira JilaniShe reflected on the tragic contrast between her husband's promise and the reality of his death.

Ever since Ziad was branded a "terrorist" by Israeli police, Moira and her daughters have lived with the consequences. She has urged her daughters not to search for their father online due to the false information spread about him. "[Israel] had everybody brainwashed to think that Palestinians were terrorists. But the Palestinians that are being threatened and killed are the ones being terrorised. So for me, I call the ones holding the guns the t," she stated, highlighting the perceived injustice and the ongoing struggle for accountability.

[Israel] had everybody brainwashed to think that Palestinians were terrorists. But the Palestinians that are being threatened and killed are the ones being terrorised. So for me, I call the ones holding the guns the t

— Moira JilaniShe expressed her view on the narrative surrounding Palestinians and the actions of Israeli forces.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Al Jazeera. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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