3 more arrested for murder of Israeli-Arab mother

At Abu Sharkh’s funeral on Sunday, a loud protest erupted as some of the attendees shouted that the police do not properly investigate murders and too often blame family members.

By ELIYAHU KAMISHER
AN OFFICER stands in the doorway of the Israel Police station in Lod. (photo credit: ELIYAHU KAMISHER)
AN OFFICER stands in the doorway of the Israel Police station in Lod.
(photo credit: ELIYAHU KAMISHER)
Three additional suspects were arrested Sunday as police continued to investigate the murder of Dua’a Abu Sharkh, 32, who was killed by masked gunmen in front of her four children on Friday, while violence in Lod continued on Sunday.
The three suspects, ages 25, 33 and 52, were arrested on Monday and interrogated by police, bringing the total number of suspects to seven, including three of Abu Sharkh’s brothers and an additional family member. Their remands were extended up to Wednesday by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court.
On Sunday, two Lod residents, ages 37 and 42, were treated for gunshot wounds at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center near Lod, where they were listed in satisfactory condition.
The shooting is being investigated for a possible connection to the murder of Abu Sharkh.
“A lot of work is being done [and] discussions are taking place to deal with the realistic problem of tensions that exist [in Lod],” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post.
Police also seized a pistol and 100 grams of a “cannabis- like drug” in a home search and arrested a 25-yearold Lod resident on Sunday.
At Abu Sharkh’s funeral on Sunday, a loud protest erupted as some of the attendees shouted that the police do not properly investigate murders and too often blame family members. “The police never found the culprits in dozens of murders,” some shouted, according to Ynetnews.com.
“Stop saying ‘honor killings’... We do not want to live in fear; we want to live in dignity and not be in danger.”
“Honor killings” refers to the homicide of family member by relatives, due to their belief that the victim caused shame to fall upon the family.
However, many in the Arab-Israeli community believe the term is counterproductive and overused by police, government, and the media.
Responding to these criticisms, Rosenfeld contended that police conduct each investigation without bias; however, in the majority of murder cases involving the Arab community in Lod, the perpetrators were family members. “Family killings have been the [culprits] in the majority of investigations that have been solved... These are not organized-crime murders, these are local family ‘honor killings,’” said Rosenfeld.
Four family members, including three brothers of Abu Sharkh, were arrested on Friday in connection with the murder. However, Abu Sharkh’s family contends that they are innocent.
The lawyer of the three brothers, Ziad Abu Ghanem, told the Post on Monday that the brothers are innocent. “This is not a family ‘honor killing,’” he said. “We know that the boys are innocent and we hope that they will be freed soon.”