Jenin killings latest example of Israel’s ‘shoot to kill’ policy

Killing of two unarmed men highlights Israeli attitudes towards similar incidents, and lack of domestic attention.

The killing of two unarmed Palestinian men as they surrendered to Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin is the latest example of a practice that, while shocking, is not extraordinary.

The men, named as Al-Muntasir Billah Abdullah and Youssef Asasa, had their arms raised and their shirts lifted up to show they had no weapons. Ordered to turn back towards the building they had come out of by Israeli forces, they crawled back. They were then shot and killed at point-blank range.

Caught on camera, the incident on Thursday has elicited international outrage, and the promise of an investigation from the Israeli military. But for Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli Minister of National Security, the Israeli forces “acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists must die”.

That is because Israel has long had a policy of ‘shoot to kill’ when it comes to Palestinians, even when unarmed. And while the capture of the Jenin killings on camera has made the case particularly stand out, it follows a longstanding pattern of behaviour.

“The mindset that led to this has existed for a long time,” Tirza Leibowitz, deputy director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, said. “It’s the product of years of separation, subjugation and occupation. Over the years, Israeli society has just gotten used to it.”