Israel’s folly: one more Arab killed, one more boy radicalised

'There’s no other reason that my son was shot other than that he’s Arab,' said Kheir’s father as he sat with dozens of mourners beneath posters of his son.

Yasmeen Hamdan with her young cousin, 8: ‘I will be proud if he dies and becomes a martyr.’ Heidi Levine for The National

Click here to to watch the video that sparked outrage
See pictures of family and friends in mourning
Kfar Kana // Yasmeen Hamdan carefully wrapped a red and white kaffiyeh around the head of her 8-year-old cousin, leaving just his eyes exposed.
"I will be proud if he dies and becomes a martyr," she said. "You see in your lifetime that things haven't improved and you don't want the next generation to suffer in the same way."
Yasmeen, 28, was among dozens of family members gathered in the Arab Israeli town of Kfar Kana to mourn Kheir Hamdan, a young Arab man killed by Israeli police.
His death on Friday came as weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem spread to Arab towns inside Israel, including Kfar Kana.
The shooting of Kheir, 22, was captured on video and enraged Israel's Arab minority, sparking further riots through the weekend.
Despite being Israeli citizens, Israel's Arab community of 1.7 million has faced decades of discrimination and many feel their situation deteriorated as the government became increasingly hardline.
"It's become political and governmental racism towards the Arab people and towards our holy places," said Saleh Salman, a priest serving Kfar Kana's Arab Christians, as he visited the Hamdan family. "If the government keeps going down this road it will turn the whole area into a big fire."
Nearly 20 Israeli police vehicles and officers on horseback guarded the entrance to the town on Monday. The previous night had seen fierce clashes between hundreds of protesters and security forces.
On the third floor of a partially built apartment block, five teenage boys with their faces covered by Palestinian scarves used their vantage point to watch over the security forces.
Nearby, the Hamdan family hosted a stream of visitors at a mourning tent.
"There's no other reason that my son was shot other than that he's Arab — it's clear it was because of his ethnicity," said Kheir's father Rauf Hamdan, 50, as he sat with dozens of mourners beneath posters of his son.
Sheikh Samir Mohammed Asi, an Imam from a large mosque in the Israeli city of Acre, who was among the men, said the community were "hurt".
"We are a close-knit community — Muslims and Christians live here together — we are all Arabs," he said.
Israeli police said they opened fire on Kheir when he tried to stab a police officer during an attempt to arrest him for allegedly throwing a stun grenade.
Black-and-white footage taken from a security camera showed Kheir striking a patrol van several times with an object while police officers were inside. An officer then opened the car door and as Kheir walked off he was shot with a handgun.
He was bundled into the police car and taken to Afula Hospital where he died of his wounds.
Israeli attorney general Yehuda Weinstein called for an investigation into the shooting.
On Monday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sparked anger when he said those taking part in the protests in Israel should leave for the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
"To all those who are demonstrating and shouting their denunciation of Israel and support of a Palestinian state, I can say one simple thing: you are invited to move there — to the Palestinian Authority or to Gaza," Mr Netanyahu said. His comments were immediately condemned by Arab politicians.
One of Kheir's cousins, Mohammed, 25, said he witnessed the shooting that has sparked so much anger.
"The police opened the doors and shot him in cold blood. They are aggressive all the time. Arabs have no rights, if you want rights you have to leave the country".
"We want a review of the laws around execution on the spot from the lowest position in the police department up to the highest position," said another cousin Abdullah Hamdan.
The tensions in towns like Kfar Kana appear to be spillover from the violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank which many fear is spiralling out of control. Recent visits to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound by Jewish groups have only served to fan the flames.
"I lived through the first and second intifadas and it's never been like this in Jerusalem before. This is the most sadness and pain we've seen in our area," said Ranya Hatem, 38, a Palestinian writer from East Jerusalem
On Monday, a bus arrived in Kfar Kana from Jerusalem full of mourners and supporters who had come to visit the Hamdan family. The walked to their home carrying a Palestinian flag and chanting.
Kheir's mother Fatmi Hamdan said her son had become radicalised by the Israeli crackdown on protesters in East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967.
"My son was concerned about the situation everywhere. His is not the only boy who felt like this. This is our situation."
"They meant to kill him."
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