Remembering Bassem Abu Rahme

20 April 2015

 - Subhiya Abu Rahme, 60, propped up on her elbows to recount her son’s last morning before he was killed by the Israeli army. Six years ago on April 17, 2009, Bassem Abu Rahme, 30, was shot in the chest with a tear gas canister in his West Bank hometown of Bil’in outside of Ramallah. That morning Subhiya recalled, was a scorcher. Bassem went into the bathroom to cool off, musing, “I will shower or I will die.” Once clean and dressed, he walked to the garden behind the house. “I was working. He told me don’t tire yourself. It’s not good for you,” Subhiya said, relaying Bassem’s final words to her.

Within a few hours Bassem was struck at close range with a tear gas canister, a speedy projectile that pours plumes of white-toxic gas. At the time he was facing off with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during a protest on Palestinian Prisoners Day. The annual commemoration marked support for the over 6,000 held in Israeli jails. Palestinians consider all of those incarcerated as political prisoners.