Israeli soldiers remove the body of Palestinian Ahmad Erakat, who was shot dead at a checkpoint in the West Bank. AFP
Israeli soldiers remove the body of Palestinian Ahmad Erakat, who was shot dead at a checkpoint in the West Bank. AFP
Israeli soldiers remove the body of Palestinian Ahmad Erakat, who was shot dead at a checkpoint in the West Bank. AFP
Israeli soldiers remove the body of Palestinian Ahmad Erakat, who was shot dead at a checkpoint in the West Bank. AFP

Nephew of top Palestinian official shot dead by Israeli soldiers


Layla Mashkoor
  • English
  • Arabic

The nephew of senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat was shot dead by Israeli officers on Tuesday at a checkpoint near Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank.

Mr Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said Ahmad Erekat, 27, was “murdered in cold blood”.

His family said he was killed while on his way to a beauty salon to pick up his sister, who was preparing for her wedding scheduled for later in the day.

“Tonight was his sister’s wedding, his was next month,” said Noura Erekat, a cousin of Ahmad and a human rights lawyer.

In a tweet, Mr Erekat said he holds Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for Ahmad's death.

Israeli authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack and claimed the young man was driving towards officers at speed.

Mr Erekat dismissed the police claims as "impossible”, saying Ahmad was due to be married shortly.

The Erekat family also rejected the allegations and called on Israeli authorities to release security footage.

"The only terrorists are the cowards who shot to kill a beautiful young man and blamed him for it,” Noura Erakat said.

Later in Abu Dis, Palestinians threw stones at soldiers who responded by using tear gas and sponge-tipped ammunition, AFP reported.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

"Israel must be held accountable for its kill first, justify policy later,” senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said.

Ms Ashrawi called on the international community to take "concrete steps” against Israel over the death of Ahmad.

"Palestinian lives matter,” she said, recalling last month's police killing of an autistic man in Jerusalem.

"It is time for the world to hold Israel to account and ensure that justice is done by Palestinian victims.”

Tuesday's incident came nearly a month after a Palestinian man was killed in similar circumstances near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

He was shot dead on May 29 after police said he tried to drive a car into Israeli soldiers, none of whom were injured.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions as Mr Netanyahu plans to press ahead with the annexation of up to 30 per cent of the occupied West Bank and the strategically important Jordan Valley.

The Netanyahu government has pledged to start annexing territory from July 1, as part of the broader US peace plan.

Palestinian and Arab officials have warned that such a move would effectively extinguish any hopes of a two-state solution to the conflict.

The proposal has also sparked widespread international criticism and warnings that it would lead to renewed violence.

Almost all of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal under international law.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said such a unilateral move would “undermine” the two-state solution.

"Annexation would be not only against international law, but it would be a major factor to destabilise the region,” Mr Guterres said on Tuesday.

"I hope this voice of reason that is not only mine, it is echoing across the world, will be heard by the Israeli authorities and that the annexation does not take place on the first of July.”

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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

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Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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War and the virus
Brief scoreline:

Liverpool 2

Keita 5', Firmino 26'

Porto 0

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: BeIN Sports

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Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'

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Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'

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The biog

Name: Fareed Lafta

Age: 40

From: Baghdad, Iraq

Mission: Promote world peace

Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi

Role models: His parents 

'Project Power'

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback

Director: ​Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Rating: 3.5/5

'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press

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Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels