Aisha al-Rawbi
Court issues gag order on death of Palestinian woman
Amid Palestinian claims the woman was killed by rock dropped on her vehicle by Jewish settlers, police launch investigation, but ask court for media blackout; 'Our daughter screamed and wept seeing her mother dying,' says husband of Aisha al-Rawbi.
The Jerusalem's Magistrate's Court issued a gag order on Saturday over the investigation into the death of Aisha al-Rawbi, 47, from the village of Biddya in the West Bank.
The Palestinians say al-Rawbi was killed after Jewish settlers hurled stones at a vehicle she, her husband and their nine-year-old daughter were riding in near the Tapuach junction on Friday.
The court, at the request of the police, barred the publication of any detail from the investigation.
Aisha al-Rawbi and the passenger's seat of the car
"On our way home, and as we were approaching the Tapuach checkpoint, a big rock was thrown at our vehicle, hitting my wife in the head," he said.
He decided to take his wife to the hospital. "I kept driving while my wife was covered with blood. Our daughter screamed and wept seeing her mother dying," he said.
The victim and her husband
"I was in a very bad shape. All the way to the hospital I was asking my wife to answer me, and at the same time tried to calm down our daughter, who wouldn't stop crying."
The incident sparked ire among Biddya's residents. A general strike, which included all public businesses and institutions, was declared in Biddya on Saturday following al-Rawbi's death.
Thousands of Palestinians from the area are expected to attend her funeral.
The shattered windshield of the couple's car
"All of us are going to take part in the funeral of the heroine shahid (martyr),” said one Biddya resident. “The Israeli government must stop the murderers and not dismiss cases like this. Mosques and vehicles and houses were set on fire, and we didn’t see anyone arrested.”
He went on to say that “in my opinion, this disaster could’ve been avoided. This isn’t the first time stones are thrown at Palestinian vehicles. There were many cases that ended without death.”
