Not to deny justice

The Jordan Bar Association is looking into ways to hold Israel criminally accountable for the killing of judge Raed Zuaiter last year.

In March 2014, Zuaiter was shot dead by Israeli soldiers at the King Hussein Bridge crossing. Israel claimed he had tried to seize the gun of a soldier, while an eyewitness said he was provoked and beaten before being shot.

Investigation into the killing is still going on, so that might be why the bar association’s freedom committee started only now to examine international conventions the Kingdom ratified to be able to file the lawsuit against Israel.

The question that needs to be answered, however, is why the joint investigation agreed to by Jordan and Israel has yet to make its findings public one year after the tragic shooting.

The cold-blooded killing of Zuaiter last year caused widespread outcry and condemnation in the Kingdom.

At the time, the government and people of Jordan demanded an immediate inquiry into and accountability for the murder.

That no action has been taken on his case such a long time after it happened is puzzling.

Justice delayed is justice denied. The saying applies in this case that still awaits resolution on proper legal grounds.

Now that the bar association is taking the initiative, the government must join the effort and insist that the agreed-upon joint committee investigating the case be given a fresh push forward.

It should not be another case of an agreement with Israel that is not worth its ink.

If Israel cannot be held accountable for the killing of one person, how can one hope to see it held accountable for all the crimes and violations it committed in occupied Palestine?