Arab-Israeli MKs rush to defense of terrorist killed in car-ramming

The terrorist, Ahmed Erekat, also happens to be the cousin of Saeb Erekat, a top PLO official.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

Arab-Israeli Knesset members from the Joint List party took the side of the terrorist in Tuesday’s car-ramming attack at a checkpoint in Jerusalem in which an Arab driver attempted to run over an Israeli Border Policewoman.

The reaction by the MKs is in keeping with opinion polls showing that the Israeli-Arab population since the 1970s has increasingly seen itself as Palestinian, despite advancing socioeconomically in the Jewish State.

The terrorist, Ahmed Erekat, also happens to the be cousin of Saeb Erekat, a top PLO official. He was shot and killed by responding officers.

“A Palestinian vehicle that arrived at the checkpoint at high speed attempted to run over a Border Policewoman,” a police statement said. “Officers responded by firing and neutralizing the terrorist.”

Despite the report, the Arab-Israeli MKs said it was a “systematic execution” on Wednesday.

“Ahmed Erekat was on his way to pick up his mother and sisters from a bridal salon on the occasion of his sister’s wedding, and a month before his wedding. A number of shots were fired at him,” MK Aida Touma-Suleiman said. “It is a systematic execution when every Palestinian is a legitimate target.”

Fellow Joint List MK Iman Khatib Yassin, who is a member of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement, tweeted: “Only in the state of occupation does joy become mourning. Ahmed Erekat, 27, who was getting married in two weeks, while preparing for his sister’s wedding last night, returned to the house as a corpse after being killed by occupation forces. A Palestinian on leaving home should not wrap his body in a shroud or dig a grave for himself! We won’t wait for the next victim!”

Saeb Erekat claimed his cousin was only in a hurry when border police shot him.

His claims don’t square with border police, who said that Ahmed Erekat sped toward the checkpoint and refused to slow down despite an officer flagging him. Instead, he veered toward a border policewoman and hit a checkpoint tower. He then exited his vehicle and started to advance toward the border forces who opened fire, killing him.

There have been numerous incidents of attacks at checkpoints by Arab terrorists.