Israeli forces break up funeral of Palestinian activist

DW (English)

Israeli soldiers ejected mourners and journalists, including from DW, from the funeral of Awdah Hadaleen, a prominent Palestinian activist. Hadaleen, who featured in the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land", was killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank. Graphic content.

Transcript

00:00This is the moment an Israeli settler wielded his gun and fired around him.

00:05He claims he was acting in self-defense.

00:08One of the bullets killed Palestinian activist Aude Hadalin, who was standing nearby.

00:15The Israeli settler, who was previously sanctioned by the US government,

00:18was later arrested and put under house arrest,

00:21while Israeli police investigate him for alleged reckless manslaughter and the use of a firearm.

00:27Aude Hadalin was a known peace activist in the region.

00:31He leaves behind a family with three children.

00:34Friends and family come together the next day in Umal Khair,

00:38his home in the south of the occupied West Bank.

00:41Israeli authorities haven't yet released Aude's body.

00:44His brother Khalil represents a family grappling with the loss.

00:48He had three kids. The oldest is six and the youngest only one.

00:54They keep asking where their father is, and we can't bring ourselves to answer them.

01:00Suddenly, the Israeli army arrives.

01:02They declare the village a closed military zone.

01:05That gives the army the power to remove everyone who doesn't live here,

01:09including journalists and activists.

01:11We're not told why.

01:16Why do we have to leave? Can you explain?

01:21People came here today to mourn the life of Aude Hadalin, who was killed by a settler.

01:26And now the Israeli military has arrived and is telling everyone to leave this place.

01:30And they've also threatened journalists that if we don't leave here within the next ten minutes,

01:34they will start arresting us as well.

01:36We move outside the village, but are then told the closed military zone has been extended even further,

01:43and we have to keep moving.

01:45We catch some of the mourners on their way out.

01:49We are not allowed to attend a funeral.

01:53They threatened to shoot us with tear gas.

01:56They forced us to leave.

01:59Soldiers arrest two activists, and as we leave, start throwing stun grenades to force people to move.

02:06We see what we see in Gaza.

02:08We see what we see in the West Bank.

02:12This Israeli government is going to continue to escalate its behavior against Palestinians,

02:20unless the international community is going to hold it to account.

02:23More and more Palestinians will pay the price.

02:25And ultimately, we as Israelis are also going to pay the price.

02:30What this government is doing here is sawing the seeds of hatred, violence and conflict for generations to come.

02:37Audi's brother tells us residents have all been ordered to go back to their homes.

02:42Activists and journalists have no choice but to drive away,

02:46leaving behind a community scared for its future.

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