“He was just standing there, innocent, he is such a kind-hearted kid. He had no stones, he was totally unarmed, he was at least half a mile away from the military,” the Times of Israel quoted Khamis Jbara, describing his neighbor Omar Qattin who was killed in unclear circumstances last week as settlers rampaged last week in the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya. “He works from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. He is a peaceful man.”
About the fatality, Times of Israel also reported: “The slain man was named as 27-year-old Omar Qattin, who residents said was a father of two small children and worked as an electrician for the local municipality” (“Palestinian killed in unclear circumstances as settlers rampage in West Bank town“).
Following communication from CAMERA’s Israel office, yesterday Times of Israel editors commendably added that the ostensibly peaceful, kind-hearted Qattin was also mourned by Hamas, a designated terror organization, which claimed him as their “martyred hero” (screenshot at left). The updated article now explains:
Qattin was also claimed by the Hamas terror group as a member in a brief statement calling him a “hero martyr.” Hamas, however, did not say he was a member of its armed wing, indicating Qattin may have only been politically affiliated with the group.
Al Hurra, a publicly-funded Arabic-language American network, also added information about Qattin’s Hamas membership in response to correspondence from CAMERA Arabic. The June 21 Al Hurra article had originally only reported: “A Palestinian was killed previously on Wednesday, during attacks carried out by settlers against the Turmus Ayya village.” Using information provided by CAMERA Arabic, Al Hurra editors added: “Subsequently, the Hamas movement which is classified as terrorist said that one of its members was shot dead by settlers near the Turmus Ayya village north of Ramallah.”
الشهيد عمر قطين (27 عاماً) الذي ارتقى برصاص قوات الاحتلال خلال التصدي للمستوطنين في ترمسعيا شمال شرق رام الله. pic.twitter.com/uQphstwTAK
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) June 21, 2023
Separately, CAMERA contacted Times of Israel regarding references to rampaging “settler vigilantes.” While “vigilante” refers to one who takes the law into his own hands to protect his own community, these perpetrators randomly attacked Palestinians and their property, and were not specifically targeting attackers. While the settler violence came in response to the June 20 deadly terror attack in which Palestinian terrorists killed four Israeli civilians in Eli, including two fresh high school graduates, the Israeli rioters in Turmus Ayya were not targeting the Palestinian murderers, who had already been killed by security forces.