On Thursday this week (18 May 2017, an Israeli settler distributed chocolates to “celebrate” the killing of a Palestinian youth, Muataz Shamsa (23). The Israeli settler can be seen, in a video posted online, saying: “We killed a Palestinian vandal today…I am distributing candy to celebrate the killing. I want to congratulate the Israeli people for the vandal’s death.”

Shamsa was shot dead earlier in the day by another Israeli settler who also shot an Associated Press photographer in the hand. Shamsa was part of a picket in solidarity with #PalestinianPoliticalPrisoners who are on day 34 of a hunger strike launched 17 April demanding an end to Israel’s detention without trial among other Israeli human right violations.

After shooting Shamsha and the AP journalist, the Israeli settler fled the scene, running over several Palestinians and crashing into an ambulance on his way. Israeli police, notorious for not apprehending perpetrators of violence against Palestinians, have said that the Israeli settler who shot dead Muataz Shamsha is not being considered a criminal suspect. Instead, the Israeli authorities arrested the Palestinian man who was driving the ambulance that the Israeli shooter ran into, claiming that the ambulance blocked the Israeli settlers escape. Israel has also seized the Palestinian ambulance. Click here for article with video.