Last update - 00:00 11/03/2007
Police, family clash over cause of death of Palestinian detainee
By Yoav Stern and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies
Police and the family of a Palestinian who died in custody clashed Sunday over the cause of death of Wa'al al-Qarawi, 32, who died of unknown causes shortly after his arrest in East Jerusalem on Saturday.
Palestinians took to the streets in East Jerusalem on Sunday during al-Qarawi's funeral, hurling rocks at Jewish homes in the a-Tur neighborhood, Israel Radio reported. There were no casualties in the incident.
Al-Qarawi was initially believed to have died of natural causes as both Magen David Adom doctors and a Palestinian doctor who examined the body did not identify any unusual marks on the body. But the affair took an unexpected turn after signs of violence were found on his head and legs as his body was being prepared to be interred.
In light of the new findings, al Qawari's family is now demanding that an autopsy be carried out in order to establish the cause of his death.
Al-Qawari was detained for questioning in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of a-Tur, as he was caught transporting a Jordanian woman who is staying in Israel illegally.
Eyewitnesses and al-Qarawi's relatives say that he was beaten by the Border Policemen who detained him. Police sourced have said, however, that the officers who arrested the man made no physical contact with him.
Jerusalem Police have said al-Qarawi was instructed to drive over to the police station on Saleh a-Din Street in East Jerusalem, and complained he is unwell upon entering the station. According to police, officers alerted an MDA ambulance and shortly thereafter al-Qarawi collapsed and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.
Detectives from the Police Investigations Department were called to the scene and took testimonies from the police officers involved in the affair and from the passenger in his car.
The PID said Saturday they do not suspect that al-Qarawi had been beaten to death during questioning and that he appears to have died of natural causes.
Attorney Na'eela Atiya, who represents the al-Qarawi family, told Haaretz on Sunday that a Palestinian pathologist will conduct the autopsy. Should the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir agree to take the body back for examination, an institute doctor would also participate in the examination.
The body is currently being held at the al-Mekased Hospital in East Jerusalem.
Atiya said that the autopsy would be of value should the family seek to proceed with legal action against police.