CRUEL REALITY

Will the cruelty by Israeli forces towards the Palestinians ever end? It crimes get horrific as days go by. There are no words to describe the murder of the unarmed autistic Palestinian by Israeli troops in East Jerusalem (“Autistic Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops, buried,” June 1, Gulf Today).

The 32-year-old man, Iyad Halak, who suffered mental health issues was heading to a school for students with special needs where he studied each day when he was shot. Of course Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz has apologized for the killing and promised an inquiry. But this incident is but among the thousands of such acts which die a slow procedural death.

Human rights groups have been insisting that Israeli forces are using excessive force in many cases by killing individuals who could have been arrested or using lethal force when their lives were not in danger. So was Halak’s case where they presumed he was armed, only to find no weapon. The world has to make sure such mayhem stop. Kamal R By email