FRESH AIR

UPDATES

The death of a Palestinian activist exposes some brutal realities

May 17, 2016 | Gareth Narunsky

The death of a Palestinian activist exposes some brutal realities
news_item/bahabta.jpg

PALESTINIAN activist Baha Nababta was passionate about helping his community in the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem. In addition to being the head of the local volunteer fire department, he helped to pave roads, remove garbage and set up emergency medical services.

For this service to his people, he was brutally murdered last week – apparently because in order to achieve these improvements, he liaised with Israeli authorities.

The 31-year-old married father of two children was shot seven times at 11:30pm on Monday, May 2, before his assailant fled on a motorbike.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Nababta had previously told Israeli Meretz politician Dr Meir Margalit, with whom he worked to improve the infrastructure in Shuafat, that he feared for his life:

 

“More than once he told me that people in the refugee camp accused him of being a collaborator with Israel,” said Margalit. “That was because in order to solve the problems in the camp, he had to be in contact with the Jerusalem Municipality, the police, Interior Ministry, and other different Israeli institutions.”
“There was no other way to address the problems in this camp without being in touch with the Israeli Government,” continued Margalit, who was shaken by the news of Nababta’s violent death.

Margalit continued:

“It’s terrible, but I guess that the type of message to all Palestinians who work with Israel is stop doing it, or you will end up like Nababta.”

 

A crime-ridden neighbourhood of 80,000 Palestinians, Shuafat is part of the Jerusalem Municipality but is cut off from the city by the security barrier. Nababta himself discussed the problems of the area in this BBC Panorama documentary (you can see him from 12:37 onwards):

https://vimeo.com/136422517

Nababta’s murder was ignored by the Palestinian media, according to Elder of Ziyon.

The Jerusalem Municipality, and Israel itself, are often strongly criticised because the services to Palestinian neighbourhoods of east Jerusalem – especially those beyond the security barrier – are inferior to those in Jewish neighbourhoods (for an example, here’s a report from ACRI, a majority-European-funded left-wing Israel NGO, on the subject). But the horrifying story of Baha Nababta exposes that the problem is more complex than such groups make out.

While there is certainly a case that Israel should be seeking ways to do more to improve services in these areas, it also must be recognised that doing so is immensely complex and difficult. Neighbourhoods like Shuafat are largely controlled by armed gangs of thugs, who often claim to act in the name of Palestinian nationalism, but often behave like regular criminal gangs in other cities. These criminal elements make it very hard for Israeli municipal workers to access these areas safely.

Nor can the municipality work with local community leaders to arrange for services to be delivered – or even to hear about their priorities and attempt to address them – because any contact with Israeli authorities is seen by these armed gangs as “collaboration”, effectively a death sentence.

What both Israel and the residents of east Jerusalem need to fix these problems are more people like Baba Nababta – people whose primary concern is improving the life of residents, not promoting hatred and conflict in the name of ideological purity. Sadly, such people are few and far between – and with Nababta’s murder, are even less likely to run the risks required to constructively upgrade services to their fellow Palestinian residents.

Gareth Narunsky

Tags:

RELATED ARTICLES


Crocus City Hall Sign After Attack

What recent ISKP attacks reveal about US, Russian and Iranian intelligence agencies

Mar 27, 2024 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing (Image: Shutterstock)

Contrary to news stories, aid is getting to north Gazans without UNRWA’s help

Mar 26, 2024 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Screenshot 2024 03 15 At 6.19.20 pm

Four Corners “Forever War” episode reflected the endless crusade of its creator, John Lyons

Mar 15, 2024 | Featured, Fresh AIR
(image: Shutterstock/Syndi Pilar)

“Anti-Zionism” is illegitimate and immoral regardless of whether or not it is antisemitic

Mar 12, 2024 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Crowds gather for prayer at Jerusalem's Temple mount (Image Professionals GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)

Ramadan and the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations

Mar 8, 2024 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Houthi rebel fighters fighting in Sana'a against the coalition forces (Image: Maad Ali/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News)

As the Houthis threaten international shipping, spare a thought for the people of Yemen

Mar 4, 2024 | Featured, Fresh AIR
455daec3 C2a8 8752 C215 B7bd062c6bbc

After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire for hostages deal

Nov 29, 2023 | Update
Screenshot of Hamas bodycam footage as terrorists approach an Israeli vehicle during the terror organisation's October 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel, released by the IDF and GPO (Screenshot)

Horror on Video / International Law and the Hamas War

Oct 31, 2023 | Update
Sderot, Israel. 7th Oct, 2023. Bodies of dead Israelis lie on the ground following the attacks of Hamas (Image: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/Alamy Live News)

Israel’s Sept. 11, only worse

Oct 11, 2023 | Update
Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu (r) gets his long-awaited face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden in New York (Photo: Avi Ohayon, Israeli Government Press Office)

Netanyahu meets Biden, other world leaders, in New York

Sep 27, 2023 | Update
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who gave an address on Aug. 28 threatening the US and laying out the Iranian-led axis's new "unity of the arenas" doctrine. (Photo: Shutterstock, mohammad kassir)

US-Iran prisoner swap deal set to go through

Sep 12, 2023 | Update
A rally of Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party last year: Yet outside these faithful, Abbas is not only largely unpopular, but his rule over the PA has seen the Palestinian parliament dissolved, judiciary sidelined, and his party hollowed out (Photo: Shutterstock, Anas-Mohammed)

The Crisis in the PA

Aug 28, 2023 | Update

SIGN UP FOR AIJAC EMAILS

RECENT POSTS

A barrage of words charged with venomous lies targets Australian Jews daily (Image: Shutterstock)

The Last Word: Words – Holy and hateful

The 2020 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Ministerial Declaration (Image: US Dept of State)

Europa Europa: Empty words

Mghead2

Biblio File: The Education of an Editor

Memorial composed of photos of young Israelis killed during the terrorist attack on the NOVA Festival which took place on October 7, 2023 a few kilometers from Gaza (Image: Jose Hernandez/ Camera 51/ Shutterstock)

The world’s ‘Triple Standard’ against Israel endangers global security

Image: Abed Rahim Khatib/ Shutterstock

A plan for Gaza

A barrage of words charged with venomous lies targets Australian Jews daily (Image: Shutterstock)

The Last Word: Words – Holy and hateful

The 2020 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Ministerial Declaration (Image: US Dept of State)

Europa Europa: Empty words

Mghead2

Biblio File: The Education of an Editor

Memorial composed of photos of young Israelis killed during the terrorist attack on the NOVA Festival which took place on October 7, 2023 a few kilometers from Gaza (Image: Jose Hernandez/ Camera 51/ Shutterstock)

The world’s ‘Triple Standard’ against Israel endangers global security

Image: Abed Rahim Khatib/ Shutterstock

A plan for Gaza

SORT BY TOPICS