The documentation of the Israeli army’s arrest of a Palestinian citizen and the violent pressure of one of its soldiers on the man’s neck during a demonstration in the West Bank, on Tuesday sparked comparisons with the killing of George Floyd in the United States.
Palestinian Khairy Hanoun, 65, said that he participated in a demonstration against attempts by Israeli settlers to confiscate land near the village of Shoufeh, near Tulkarm, when a soldier grabbed him and pressed his knee on his neck.
The Israeli army denied any wrongdoing, but said it would review the incident in the coming days.
Hanoun told “Wafa” agency: “What the occupation soldier committed in my right is a criminality of criminality.
He added, “The Israeli soldiers hit me hard and one of them pressed his knee on my neck for a few minutes.
I remained motionless to avoid more pressure on my neck, but people pulled me.
Hanoun announced that he was bruised but not seriously injured.
For its part, the Israeli army said that Hanoun, an activist in the Popular Committees to Resist the Wall and Settlements, is a person “known to be a central instigator and participates in many violations of public order in Judea and Samaria”.
The Israeli army said in a statement that “Hanoun pushed the force commander several times in an attempt to create a provocation.
The commander showed restraint and was forced to arrest the suspect after he continued to attack the forces and disturb the order…
After his arrest, the suspect was provided with medical treatment.
Soon, the image of the soldier’s knee on Hanoun’s neck spread on social media, as many likened the incident to the killing of George Floyd, a black American man who was killed after a policeman in Minneapolis pressed his knee on his neck for nine minutes during his arrest.
The murder of Floyd sparked mass demonstrations against the racism practiced against people of African descent throughout the United States and around the world, including Israel.
