Family of Dead Palestinian-American Rebuffs Settlement Offer

FILE - Mourners take a last look at the body of Omar Asaad, 78, during his funeral at a mosque in the West Bank village of Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, Jan. 13, 2022. I(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
FILE - Mourners take a last look at the body of Omar Asaad, 78, during his funeral at a mosque in the West Bank village of Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, Jan. 13, 2022. I(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
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Family of Dead Palestinian-American Rebuffs Settlement Offer

FILE - Mourners take a last look at the body of Omar Asaad, 78, during his funeral at a mosque in the West Bank village of Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, Jan. 13, 2022. I(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
FILE - Mourners take a last look at the body of Omar Asaad, 78, during his funeral at a mosque in the West Bank village of Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, Jan. 13, 2022. I(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)

The family of a Palestinian-American man who died earlier this year after he was detained by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank said Wednesday they would reject Israel’s settlement offer.

Israel’s Defense Ministry said earlier this week that it had agreed to pay out the family of 78-year-old Omar Assad, who died handcuffed and blindfolded while detained by Israeli soldiers.

Assad was born in the Palestinian town of Jiljilya but spent about 40 years in the United States. He became a US citizen before he returned to his hometown in 2009 to retire with his wife, according to The Associated Press.

Under the deal, Assad’s family would receive 500,000 shekels, or about $141,000 to drop its court case against the state, the ministry said.

Nawaf Assad, Omar’s brother who splits his time between Virginia and Illinois, said he had instructed their family lawyer to rebuff Israel’s proposal.

“We are not interested in dropping the case for any reason,” Assad told The AP. “No money can replace my brother for his children, for his grandchildren who still call out for him ... for his wife who thinks he’s home every time her doorbell rings.”

Questions remain about what happened to Assad after he was detained by Israeli forces at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army said troops later unbound his hands and left him face-down in an abandoned building.

Assad was pronounced dead at a hospital after other Palestinians who had been detained found him unconscious. A Palestinian autopsy showed that he died from a heart attack brought on by injuries sustained while he was detained.

The Israeli military reprimanded a senior officer and removed two others from leadership roles after its own investigation concluded that Assad’s death resulted “from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.” It was a rare acknowledgement of error from a military that has long come under criticism for rarely holding soldiers accountable.

Assad’s family said they would reject Israel’s settlement so they could continue to push the US to conduct its own independent investigation. Several members of Congress have also called for an American probe.

“If we close the deal, the US government will close the (case),” Assad, his brother, said. “We want justice.”



Arab, International Momentum to Support Lebanon Kicks Off with Macron’s Visit

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam at the Presidential Palace (Reuters)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam at the Presidential Palace (Reuters)
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Arab, International Momentum to Support Lebanon Kicks Off with Macron’s Visit

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam at the Presidential Palace (Reuters)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam at the Presidential Palace (Reuters)

The election of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the designation of Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam to form the first government of the new presidential term have drawn unprecedented Arab and international attention. This growing interest is reflected in a series of high-level visits, starting with French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beirut on Friday.
While Spanish Foreign Minister and EU High Representative Josep Borrell visited Lebanese officials on Wednesday, coinciding with similar meetings held by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to arrive in Beirut on Saturday. Additionally, Arab and international officials are set to visit the Lebanese capital starting next week.
In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, former Lebanese Ambassador to Washington Antoine Chedid stated that Lebanon “is of great importance to the region and the world, and the changes happening in the country are part of broader regional transformations.”
“International interest in Lebanon didn’t begin today. It became evident during the recent Israeli war, when the United States, Saudi Arabia, and France played pivotal roles in achieving a ceasefire,” he remarked.
Chedid further noted that Macron’s visit will mark the start of a series of trips by international and Arab leaders expressing their firm support for Lebanon’s state institutions, including its president, government, army, and constitutional bodies.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented phase of international support for Lebanon’s presidency and state institutions,” he said. “What matters now is for Lebanon to embrace this support positively.”
Former minister Rashid Derbas highlighted that international attention to Lebanon “clearly indicates that the country has moved past its state of unrest and security disruptions and is no longer a platform for undermining regional stability.”
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Derbas said: “Macron’s visit, followed by the arrival of Arab and global leaders, restores confidence among Lebanese citizens. Electing a president and forming a government has reignited hope.”
He added: “This renewed openness paves the way for assisting Lebanon in investing in stability, development, and conflict resolution, steering the country away from chaos and disorder.”
Derbas stressed that certain factions, “particularly the Shiite duo, have failed to recognize regional changes and shifting power dynamics, clinging instead to rhetoric that clouds their judgment.”
He criticized their rejection of past opportunities, stating: “When the Shiite duo had strong leverage in choosing the president and forming the government, they dismissed all proposals, squandering opportunities until external forces imposed decisions on them.”
Derbas expressed hope for an end to the cycle of missed opportunities and constitutional violations, which he said have “isolated Lebanon from its allies under the pretext of sovereignty, while maintaining a rhetoric about liberating Palestine and weakening Israel.”
The decision by the Shiite duo (Amal Movement and Hezbollah) to boycott non-binding consultations has cast a shadow over the atmosphere as international and Arab officials prepare to visit Lebanon. Political analyst Toufic Hindi warned that the duo’s choice to boycott consultations “sends a discouraging message and does not align with the will of the Lebanese people or the intentions of Lebanon’s Arab and international allies.”
Hindi praised Aoun’s inaugural speech, describing it as “a source of hope for the Lebanese people and a signal of reassurance for the international community.” Similarly, he commended Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam for outlining a clear framework for state-building during his speech at the presidential palace.