Strange than fiction in the case of Israa Gharib, "family" testimony
The fourth session of the trial of the defendants in the case of the killing of the Palestinian girl, Israa Gharib, witnessed a testimony that seemed far from reality.
The sister of the slain girl, whose case received widespread Palestinian and Arab attention, testified before the court, on Tuesday, according to lawyer for the Independent Commission for Human Rights, Farid al-Atrash, who attended the session.
"His sister was suffering from mental illness and the presence of magic," said Mohamed, the brother of Israa Gharib, a dentist residing in Greece with a nationality, in his testimony with the department.
He added that the family removed their daughter from the hospital, after it was found that she does not need physical treatment, saying that the girl was "offered to a sheikh, then subjected to a slight beating in order to control it."
The doctor’s testimony seemed very strange, especially because it was issued by a person who was supposed to believe in science and out of ignorance.
Those accused of killing Israa, two of her brothers and her sister's husband, and their brother's testimony may have been an alienation attempt to save them, especially since they still deny the charges against them, according to the lawyer.
The Palestinian judicial authorities say they have heard 41 witnesses in the case, noting that the next session will be postponed until February 10.
The Palestinian Attorney General, Akram Al-Khatib, revealed last September that the beating that led to death was the one that killed the girl.
He confirmed that in the investigations, it was proven that the family's claim that the victim, Esraa Ghraib, had been fallen from her balcony the first time, during which she was transferred to the hospital.
He said that Israa Gharib was subjected to physical violence, psychological pressure, and sorcery.
Israa Gharib passed away last August in a case that highlighted violence against women in the Arab world, and her case sparked great interaction, especially on social media.
The girl was working in a beauty salon in Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank, where she was living
