After the failure of Camp David summit in 2000, Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister visited the Haram Al-Sharif compound, site of the Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest worshipping places for Muslims, along with his armed forces. This was believed to be an incendiary political act, specially conisdering the fact that Sharon, was the former general and defense minister who was responsible for the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the subsequent massacres against the Palestinian population there (namely, the massacre of Sabra and Shatila).
As a protest to the admittance of armed forces into a worshipping place, a series of protests and demonstrations began in Jerusalem, and later spread to the West Bank and Gaza. The demonstrations were met by violence from the Israeli police and armed forces causing tens of Palestinian fatalities in the first few days alone. The demonstrations intensified, and were eventually called the Second Intifada.
In early October, Palestinians inside Israel began demonstrating as well, and were met by the same violent reactions from Israel resulting in 12 Palestinian citizens of Israel killed and hundreds injured. These events became later known as ‘Black October’
Asel Asleh, a 17-year old boy was shot at close range to the neck by Israeli police forces. At the time, he was less than a mile from his home. Asel was left to bleed until his body was found under the olive tree. At this point, the family attempted to rush him to the hospital, but with failure. The Israeli police intensified checkpoints around the areas preventing the ambulance from reaching Asel, and Asel’s body from reaching the hospital. And hence Asel died shortly after arriving to the hospital (2-3 hours after he was shot).
Asel was shot while he was wearing his Seeds of Peace shirt.
