Israeli policeman confesses to unlawful killing Bedouin man

An Israeli police officer has confessed to the unlawful killing of a Bedouin man, an incident that sparked further clashes between Israeli policemen and Bedouin residents in southern Israel.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Internal Investigations Unit, the officer, who had shot and killed 20-year-old Sami al-Jaar of the Bedouin town of Rahat in January, implicated himself in the shooting.

The policeman was arrested for further investigation. According to the Internal Investigations Unit, the policeman had previously denied the killing.

In mid-January, Israeli police forces raided a house believed to be connected to drug trade. Police then said stones were thrown at them amid the operation, adding that Jaar must have died in the crossfire.

At Jaar's funeral, clashes broke out between the mourners and police forces, leaving one Bedouin man dead and 22 others injured.

Arab Israelis went on strike later over the two deaths, protesting over perceived police violence on Arabs.

In a statement issued in January, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel accused the police of using excessive force while dealing with Arab protesters and citizens.

"The murderous acts of the police against Arab citizens have become something of a routine," the advocacy group said. "Ever since the shelving of the Prawer plan, the Israeli police have taken a particularly violent and aggressive approach against the Arab-Bedouin citizens with intention of 'teaching them a lesson.'"

Arab Israelis make 20 percent of Israel's population.

There are 192,000 Bedouins living in southern Israel's Negev Desert. Half of the Bedouins live in more than 40 "unrecognized" villages, which have no access to services like electricity, running water, health care and education.

In 2013, the Israeli government promoted the Prawer Plan, calling for the destruction of most of the unrecognized villages and the relocation of between 30,000 and 40,000 residents to towns the government established in the 1950s and 1970s.

The plan was shelved after thousands of Bedouins, furious that they were not consulted, launched a series of strikes and protests, which often led to heightened tension and even clashes with Israeli security forces. Endit