The brutal killing of three Palestinian men by Israeli military forces in Israeli-occupied Nablus on December 26 sparked grief and outrage across Palestine and brought the northern West Bank city to a standstill as thousands mourned the lethal attack.
However, their voices were drowned out yet again by Israel's propaganda machine and repeated by the mainstream media.
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Israel's 2008/09 invasion of Gaza, a force of several hundred Israeli soldiers entered Nablus and invaded the homes of Ghassan Abu Sharkh, Raed Sarakji and Anan Subih. They were executed in cold blood in front of family members.
A statement by the Israeli military alleged an operation was carried out to arrest the men suspected of involvement in the killing of an Israeli settler, Meir Avshalom Hai, two days earlier.
Israel's policy of extrajudicial killings in the Occupied Palestinian Territories resulted in the deaths of 754 people from December 2000 to June 2008 in 348 operations. The Palestine Centre for Human Rights reported in July 2008 that 233 of those killed were bystanders.
[Abridged from Electronic Intifada.]