Autistic Palestinian killed by Israeli police
JERUSALEM 1 Jun (ANA) - Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of an autistic Palestinian man who was shot dead by Israeli police.
Iyad Halaq, 32, was killed on Saturday in occupied East Jerusalem while he walked to his special needs school.
Israel's police force said officers suspected Mr Halaq was carrying a weapon and that they opened fire when he failed to obey orders to stop. He was later found to have been unarmed.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz expressed regret over the shooting.
"We are sorry about the incident in which Iyad Halaq was shot, and we of course share in the grief of his family. I am sure this issue will be quickly investigated and conclusions will be drawn," he told a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Mr Gantz added that Israeli security forces would "make every effort to use necessary force with the intention of reducing casualties as much as possible".
Tensions have risen in recent weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would press ahead with a plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority has responded by saying it is no longer bound by agreements with Israel and the United States - which backs Israel keeping part of the West Bank - including those relating to security.
Iyad Halaq would walk every day from his home in Jerusalem's Wadi al-Joz area to the Old City to go to the Elwyn El Quds centre, which provides services for children and adults with disabilities.
Mr Halaq's cousin, Dr Hatem Awiwi, said he was on the low-functioning end of the autism spectrum and that he had trouble communicating with people.
"He didn't know what a police officer is," Dr Awiwi told Israel's Haaretz newspaper. "He saw a stranger and fled, and then they shot him."
An Israeli police statement said units on patrol in the Old City "spotted a suspect with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol".
"They called upon him to stop and began to chase after him on foot. During the chase, officers also opened fire at the suspect, who was neutralised," it added. "No weapon was found at the scene after the area was searched."(ANA)
FA/ANA/1 June 2020-------