Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein died on Wednesday after a confrontation with Israeli Defense Force (IDF) troops at an anti-occupation protest in the West Bank.
Witnesses at the protest near Ramallah talked of the minister being hit and shoved by IDF soldiers, with one grabbing his neck before collapsing as tear gas was fired into the crowd of protesters.
Israeli and Palestinian autopsies differ on the 55-year-old’s cause of death, with Israel claiming that he died of heart failure, while the Palestinians claim that he died of beating and inhaling tear-gas.
Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon expressed regret for the minister’s death and proposed a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Thousands of mourners congregated for Abu Ain’s funeral on Thursday in Ramallah, near to where the incident occurred. Expecting further protests about the occupation and the death of Abu Ein, Israel has reinforced its military positions in the area with two battalions of soldiers and two companies of border police.
Photo: Palestinian soldiers carry the coffin of Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein in Ramallah #WestBank pic.twitter.com/gwISqH52rY
— Activestills (@activestills) December 11, 2014
Funeral procession for PA minister Ziad Abu Ein now in Ramallah. Photo courtesy @activestills pic.twitter.com/HnMu3rdjzu
— Mairav Zonszein (@MairavZ) December 11, 2014
First photo: Palestinian gunmen march and shoot in the air during funeral of Ziad Abu Ein #Ramallah #WestBank pic.twitter.com/iLaclpjFZd
— Activestills (@activestills) December 11, 2014
The incident comes at a time of heightened tension between Israel and the Palestinians, after months of violent unrest in Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
