Yesterday, Wednesday, the Jerusalem District Court postponed the trial of the policeman who murdered the Jerusalemite Iyad Al-Hallaq, for the third time in a row, under the pretext of “setting hearings for witnesses in the case in January and February of next year”, according to lawyer Khaled Al-Zabarqa entrusted by the family of Al-Hallaq.
“Israel Hayom” newspaper reported that Police Commissioner Yaakov Shiftai announced his support for the policeman who killed the Jerusalemite martyr Iyad al-Hallaq – a person with special needs – who had autism in May 2020 at the Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem.
The newspaper pointed out that Shabtai submitted a letter of support to the policeman through his lawyer, with the aim of presenting it to the court, in which he said: “When the police officer is right and there is a reason to defend him, I will defend him with my body,” stressing that he will support any police element as he is responsible for them, whatever their actions. He said that the policeman “acted according to the existing conditions at the site, when he heard about a report of a saboteur in the communication device, he rushed to the site. We sent him to carry out his duties in the place that witnessed the most operations.”
The Police Investigation Department, Mahash, had submitted an indictment against the policeman who killed the young man, Iyad Al-Hallaq, for trial on a very light charge, accusing him of “reckless shooting.” The policeman had fired even though the officer in charge of him shouted at him to stop shooting. Meanwhile, it is likely that the file will be closed against the officer in charge of the soldier on the grounds that there is no compelling evidence to incriminate him.
