Security Nixes Peres Visit To Palestinian Mourners

Security concerns forced cancellation of a visit by President Shimon Peres at the mourning tent of the family of murdered Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir on Monday, Haaretz says.

The Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service advised him against it when news of his pending arrival triggered an uproar and young family members began chanting slogans against Israeli officials.

“Whoever visits us must enter with dignity,” said Sheikh Mahmoud Abu Khdeir, one of the heads of the teen’s family, “and now it is not possible to come with dignity.”

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch canceled a visit to the family home in Shuafat on Tuesday, “due to scheduling constraints.”

Some Israeli officials did visit the mourning tent on Monday, however. Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz, MK Shelly Yacimovitch (Labor), and MK Michal Rosin (Meretz) were among them.

The Yerushalayim neighborhood of Shuafat, which has been the scene of violent disorders in recent days, is returning to normal.

The municipality cleaned the main street where rioting took place, and workers from the city’s Light Rail came to rebuild the two stations at Shuafat and Es-Sahl, which were completely destroyed.

On Monday, police entered the center of Shuafat for the first time since the clashes began, and began patrolling in the area of the family home.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the July 9th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.