Abir Memorial Ceremony in Anata

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tomorrow, Sunday January 20th, students of all 3 schools in Anata will hold a memorial ceremony for 10-year old Abir Aramin. According to eyewitness accounts, Abir was shot by a border police officer on Tuesday morning outside her school. Abir was declared brain dead and put on a life support machine until Thursday evening when it was switched off. Abir was buried in East Jerusalem on Friday afternoon.

The ceremony will start at the Anata Girls School at 10:30. Anata residents and students have invited Israeli and international peace activists to participate in the ceremony.

The students and residents will also demand the authorities withdraw the Border Police and IDF forces from the school area of Anata. According to the residents, since the completion of the wall construction a few months ago the presence of the soldiers near the schools is only a violent provocation. The killing of Abir demonstrates the tragic results of this pointless presence.

16-year old Hassan Hilweh, who was standing next to Abir when she was wounded stated: “the students of the girls school and the boys school had both just come out of an examination. A border police jeep approached the group of girls. The girls were afraid and started running away. The border police jeep followed them in the direction in which they were retreating. Abir was afraid and stood against one of the shops at the side of the road, I was standing near her. The border policeman shot through a special hole in the window of the jeep that was standing very close to us. Abir fell to the ground. I picked her up and took her to the girls school. I saw that she was bleeding from the head.”

British foreign minister Dr. Kim Howells, has expressed his concern over Abir’s killing. The British minister said, “I felt deep worry today when I heard the news of the killing of a Palestinian child, 10 years old, as a result of an Israeli operation in Anata, east of Jerusalem. We have been told that Israel has started an investigation for the accident”.

He appealed to the Israeli authorities that the investigation be as thorough as possible.