Eyad al-Hallaq was an autistic Palestinian Jerusalemite. On May 30, 2020, he was making his way to his school with his caregiver when he was randomly pursued and shot to death by Israeli border police in the Old City of Jerusalem. This short animated video reconstructs the last hour of his life, showing clearly the sequence of events.
Because the killing happened just days after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of American police in Minneapolis, the case elicited comparisons with Floyd’s.
In July 2023, an Israeli court acquitted the officer involved of the charge of manslaughter.
Khairi al-Hallaq, the victim’s father, told the New York Times that his family was surprised by the ruling. “The court basically told the police — do whatever you want to Arabs. You won’t get punished for it.”1
