The body of a Palestinian terrorist has been buried in Jerusalem after Israel returned his remains, the first such burial following the regulations since the country’s top court called to return the bodies of terrorists.
The funeral took place in the early hours of Monday near the Old City of Jerusalem under conditions imposed by Israeli authorities, a lawyer for the family, Mohammed Mahmoud, said.
Only 30 family members were allowed to attend and no mobile phones were permitted during the ceremony. The family gave a deposit of 20,000 shekels ($5,200/4,600 euros) to Israeli authorities as a guarantee the funeral conditions would be met, Mahmoud added.
Mohammed Nimr, a 37-year-old father of three, was shot dead after trying to stab security guards near the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City on November 10. Israeli authorities had held his body since the attack as a deterrent measure.
Late last month the IDF returned the body of a terrorist who carried out an attack to his family, due to what was later described as an “error.” The IDF later launched an inquiry into the incident.
And then last Tuesday the government ordered the return of a car ramming terrorist who wounded three soldiers, in a move that took place later the same day as the attack.
While the funeral was supposed to be modest according to the conditions so as not to fuel more terror, Palestinian media revealed that in a blatant breach of the terms it was a massive funeral attended by thousands that included marches in various regions of Samaria and northern Jerusalem, and Hamas terror flags were waved during the procession.
The Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday recommended that all bodies of Palestinian terrorists be returned.
The court encouraged “police to coordinate with the families and return the bodies of their sons before Ramadan,” the holy Muslim fasting month that begins in early June.
Israel is currently engulfed in an Arab terror wave, which has claimed the lives of 34 victims since being launched last September.
After the burial, Israel still holds the bodies of 17 attackers – 11 from eastern Jerusalem and the rest from Judea and Samaria.
AFP contributed to this report.
