The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) is gravely concerned about yesterday’s horrific incident, in which a 20-year-old Palestinian, George Khoury, was gunned down and killed, as he was jogging at the French Hill neighborhood near his Shu’fat residence in east Jerusalem.

George Khoury, a second year student of economics and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was shot four times including two fatal bullets to the head by a drive by shooter claimed by Alaqsa Martyr’s Brigades. "The shooting is a response to incursion operations and campaigns of arrests and murders carried out by the Israeli army," the Brigades declared.

George’s father, Elias Khoury, a famous and active Palestinian lawyer, has an distinguished record of taking up cases against Israel’s illegal policies towards Palestinian Jerusalem residents and Palestinian holders of Israeli passports living inside Israel proper. "This has to stop," he said. "I wished the victims of the recent days could be the last ones, and bring the leaders on both sides to reason."

Elias, a member of the Palestinian National Democratic Union, condemned the shooting, deeming such attacks as “barbaric just like the occupation is barbaric.” Khoury, further, commented "to target innocent civilians, be they Israeli or Palestinian, is a criminal act and should be stopped. Such incidents are an attack on the interests of the Palestinians and damage their cause."

MIFTAH warns against indiscriminately targeting civilians which, is causing an escalation in the loss of innocent Palestinian and Israeli lives. MIFTAH strongly condemns and denounces all forms of violence categorically, regardless of the victimization caused by Israel’s occupation policies. Such attacks only hurt the Palestinian just cause, while providing the occupier with the pretext to continue their assaults against Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps.