An Arab bus driver from East Jerusalem was found dead Sunday night, fueling rumors and riots despite police finding no signs of violence on the body. 32-year-old Yusuf Hassan al-Ramouni, husband and father of two, was found hanged at the Har Hotzvim bus terminal in Jerusalem. He worked for Egged, Israel’s largest public transportation company.
Following the report of his death, accusations began to fly that he had been murdered by a group of “settlers”. His friends and family insist he could not have committed suicide.
Muatasem Fakeh, a fellow bus driver, claimed to the AFP that he had seen signs of assault on al-Ramouni’s body. Besides, he said, “he was hanged over the steps at the back of the bus in a place where it would be impossible to hang yourself alone.”
Relatives said he was too happy to have taken his own life. “Youssef cannot commit suicide, it is not possible, he is leading a good and happy life with his wife and his family,” his brother, Louy, told Reuters.
Another relative accused Israeli authorities of ignoring eyewitnesses. “Eyewitnesses told us they saw three Jews who murdered him. Unfortunately, the Israeli police are ignoring the murder and claiming my relative hanged himself,” the relative said. “Rather than giving truthful reports, they are trying to rule out the possibility the murder was nationalistically motivated.” He went on to suggest al-Ramouni’s death was revenge for an earlier stabbing of a Jewish man in Jerusalem.
Hamas seized the opportunity to promote further violence against Jews. “This murder proves Israel’s racism and the reaction to it should be an escalation of resistance by any means,” Palestinian news agency Al-Ra’i reported the terror group saying in a statement.
Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq posted on Twitter, “the blood of martyr Yusuf Hasan al-Ramouni, who was murdered by hanging in Jerusalem, will become a fire engulfing Israel.
“The terrorism of settlers continues under the leadership of the criminal Netanyahu as well as extremist gangs. They incite and commit crimes against our people.”
In East Jerusalem, where al-Ramouni hailed from, Palestinians called for general strikes in solidarity with the deceased. Many Arab bus drivers did not come to work Monday. Riots broke out in A-Tur, al-Ramouni’s neighborhood, as well as Abu Dis.
Because of the rumors and accusations, and despite initial findings by police that there were no signs of violence on the body, an autopsy was carried out in the presence of a Palestinian doctor. The autopsy report supports the original police conclusion.
“Again, we can see the Palestinian media and extremists using this sad incident of an Arab Egged bus driver who committed suicide in order to try to incite and provoke disturbances among the Arab community,” said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
