Palestine Vows To Reveal Results Of Probe Into Girl's Rumored 'Honor Killing' - Reports

Palestine Vows to Reveal Results of Probe Into Girl's Rumored 'Honor Killing' - Reports

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has pledged to reveal results of a probe into the death of a 21-year-old woman in the West Bank that triggered a wide public outcry over suspicion that the girl could have been beaten by her family in a so-called honor killing, media reported on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2019) Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has pledged to reveal results of a probe into the death of a 21-year-old woman in the West Bank that triggered a wide public outcry over suspicion that the girl could have been beaten by her family in a so-called honor killing, media reported on Tuesday.

Israa Gharib died on August 22, just days after she had been released from a hospital in the town of Bayt Sahur near Bethlehem following treatment for a spinal injury. A family member reportedly said that the girl had died of a heart attack, with relatives denying that they had beaten her and saying that she had sustained injuries from a fall in a house yard. Media, however, speculate that relatives had beaten Gharib after she had posted a video on social media while going out in public with her fiancee.

"A number of people have been arrested for interrogation," Shtayyeh said at a cabinet meeting on Monday, as quoted by the Al Jazeera broadcaster.

He also reportedly vowed to make results of the forensic examination and the probe public. Earlier, Shtayyeh also admitted that Palestine needed to pass legislation that would better protect women's rights.

The girl's death provoked a public outcry, with women's rights activists even staging sit-ins in Bethlehem and Ramallah and demanding an end to domestic violence and abuse, according to the broadcaster. People have also expressed their solidarity on the internet, with "We are all Israa" hashtags trending on social media.

A prominent US congresswoman of Palestinian origin, Rashida Tlaib, has joined the campaign, blaming the girl's death on "ever-present toxic masculinity and control over women's bodies and lives."