Israel pays family of dead Palestinian-American detainee

Mike Letterman

Oct 9, 2022, 4:32 PM
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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. Israel said Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, that it reached a settlement to compensate Asaad's family who died earlier this year after he was detained by Israeli troops at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, binding his hands and blindfolding him. He was left face-down in an abandoned building after they unbound his hands where he was later found unconscious and pronounced dead. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Israel's Defense Ministry said Sunday that it had reached a settlement with the family of a Palestinian-American man who died in the occupied West Bank.

The settlement comes after the U.S. criticized Israel.

Israeli troops blindfolded and handcuffed a 78-year-old man at a checkpoint in the West Bank. He was left face down in an abandoned building by Israeli troops.

After other Palestinians found him unconscious, Asaad was pronounced dead at a hospital. It wasn't clear when he passed away.

The defense ministry said on Sunday that it had reached a settlement with the family of Asaad, who had filed a claim against the state in an Israeli court.

In light of the unfortunate event's unique circumstances, the ministry decided to pay the family half a million dollars.

The Israeli military issued a rare statement earlier this year saying the incident was a grave and unfortunate event because of moral failure and poor decision-making. The incident resulted in one officer being reprimanded and two others being redeployed to non-commanding roles.