In Bethlehem, a boy carries a sign reading, 'We ask the Security Council to provide protection for our brave relatives in the prisons of the occupation.' (Haytham Othman, Maan Images)

The events that transpired at the Ketziot Detention Center in the Negev Desert on October 22 sound off more than one alarm bell. The most obvious and most devastating is the fact that a 23-year-old Palestinian political prisoner is now dead and 250 others injured as a result of the violent encounter. But the tragic death of Mohammed Al Ashqar is not the only disturbing factor in this recent event. Once again, Israel, which considers itself above the law [international and otherwise] when dealing with the Palestinians, has carried out one more atrocity against this people with impunity.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Mohammed Al Ashqar from Tulkarm died after being shot in the head by prison wardens and riot police. Al Ashqar, who was taken to the Soroka Hospital first, was reportedly handcuffed to the bed even though he was in a state of clinical death. He died shortly after.

The riots broke out when prisoners objected to a midnight search by prison authorities. Apparently, an agreement between the two sides stipulates that prison authorities would not carry out late-night raids. That night, it was after two in the morning when the authorities stormed the tents.

The Palestinians say the Israeli prison authorities used tear gas and rubber and live bullets against the approximately 2,300 prisoners, causing several injuries and burning down 14 tents. The Israelis, unsurprisingly, have a completely different version. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, prison authorities were forced to enter the tents to carry out a "massive search for concealed weapons." They say, besides Al Ashqar, only 15 other Palestinians were injured and 15 wardens, who were lightly wounded.

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The 535 wardens who participated in the raid used something called "crowd dispersal sachets", basically a bag full of metal pellets, which Israel claims are "non-lethal". Israeli prison authorities maintain that the wardens shot the sachets at the prisoners’ legs according to standard procedure, but that Al Ashqar was "bending down" when he was hit in the head.

While the actual events are important and have been covered in the press extensively, it is also imperative to recognize the underlying and often unnoticed layers that characterize Palestinian-Israeli dynamics.

For Israel, killing Palestinians, whether armed members of military groups or unarmed civilians, has become more or less, run-of-the-mill. The world hardly blinks an eye when a Palestinian is killed by Israeli soldiers, settlers or in this case, prison wardens. Perhaps this is partly because the Palestinians are on such unfortunate standing these days with the international community, that in some twisted way, their lives are deemed less valuable than others. But mostly, this imbalance in the sanctity and value of human life – especially between an Israeli and a Palestinian one – is due to the complex and intricate web of deception Israel has weaved around the definition of Palestinian.

With the help of others, especially the United States and various other western allies, Israel, regardless of the magnitude of the atrocity it perpetrates, is always able to absolve itself of any wrongdoing. They make themselves out, like the common Arabic saying, "like a hair pulled from a ball of dough" – completely clean.

To read the full article please visit MIFTAH.