Family to receive remains after 34 years
Reageer (0)9-8-2010
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A small victory was declared by the Palestinian National Campaign for the Release of Martyrs Bodies on Tuesday, when the remains of a Palestinian fighter killed in 1976 were delivered to his family.
Thousands gathered in the town of Birzeit after Israeli officials barred the reception at the Rantis checkpoint, north of Ramallah, where the transfer of custody was made.
Confirmation came on Monday night, lawyer with the Legal Aid and Human Rights Center Haytham Al-Khatib told Ma'an, following 34 years of court battles.
Mashour Talab Aruri, wrapped in Palestinian flag, was taken to the Ramallah Governmental Hospital to confirm his identity.
Aruri, killed on 18 May 1976, will be transported from the hospital to his native village, Arura, by family members following forensic checks.
Aruri was killed as he led an operation by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine against Israeli forces in the Jordan Valley. The operation, Lina Nabulsi, was named after a woman with the party who was also killed in action.
Since the death of Aruri, his family members have petitioned the High Court of Justice in Israel, with the help of government lawyers and the campaign center.
Family members accused Israel of needlessly holding the remains of Aruri, saying the refusal to hand over his body was a dishonor and a disgrace.
The campaign center said it exerted "huge legal efforts" to secure the release of Aruri's remains, and added that there are hundreds of other bodies of Palestinians who were killed in action that are still held in Israel.
The center said refusing to hand over bodies of those killed by Israeli forces, or who die in their custody, violates Article 17 of the fourth Geneva Convention, which obliges contracting states to respect war victims and to ensure they are honorably interred by family members and loved ones according to their religious rites and national traditions.
Aruri's funeral, his brother Shahir explained, would be announced on Tuesday, by a special committee composed of family members, PNCRMB, the DFLP and other factions.
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