Arab Israeli policeman Amir Khoury, 32, killed Tuesday while trying to neutralize the author of a deadly attack near Tel Aviv, is widely presented Wednesday March 30 as a “heroin Israel and praised for his courage.
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“Amir Khoury heroically sacrificed himself to save human lives, leaving a grieving and hurting familytweeted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Amir Khoury, a Christian from the town of Nof Hagalil near Nazareth (north), succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday evening after coming under fire from a Palestinian assailant from the occupied West Bank, author of the attack which claimed the life of four other people, civilians. His police colleague, who was on the same motorcycle as him, survived the attack in the town of Bnei Brak, a suburb of Tel Aviv.
Heroism and professionalism
“You are heroes! Thanks to you, the lives of many citizens have been saved tonightIsrael Police Commander Yaakov Shabtai told the colleague. “You and the late Amir arrived quickly (at the scene) of the incident and showed heroism and professionalism“, he added in a telephone conversation, according to a press release from the police. “Khoury was not deterred by the gun that was pointed at him“, underlines the Yediot Aharonot, the best-selling newspaper of the Israeli press which titles”Amir’s heroism“.
His funeral is to take place Thursday in Nazareth, after a ceremony in the Basilica of the Annunciation. “Only a month ago we bought him a house so he could move in after his wedding.“, his father Jiries Khoury told AFP, his voice trembling with emotion. “He had studied medicine for a year and then turned to lawadded his father, himself a retired Israeli police officer. “We don’t know exactly what happened“, he regretted, saying that he had not received details from the police.
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The Israeli Arabs are the descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their lands when Israel was created in 1948. They represent 20% of the population of Israel and claim to be victims of discrimination compared to the Jewish majority. The attack in the suburbs of Tel Aviv is the third in a week in Israel, bringing the number of victims to 11, 9 civilians and 3 policemen. Naftali Bennett felt that the country was facing “a wave of deadly Arab terrorism“.
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