Palestinian envoy ‘not aware’ of British student Hannah Bladon’s death
Professor Manuel Hassassian says he did not know who the 20-year-old was, following her tragic death in Jerusalem last month
The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has said he is “not aware” of a deadly attack on a British exchange student by a Palestinian man in Jerusalem last month.
Professor Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Authority representative in London, astonished an audience of students at Imperial College on Thursday last week, when answering a question about the attack on the 20-year old, and payments subsequently made to the attacker.
“I’m not aware of this incident,” he said, when asked about Jamil Tamimi, 57, a mentally-challenged Palestinian man who said he attacked Birmingham University student Hannah Bladon because he wanted Israeli police to shoot and kill him.
Tamimi, who attacked and killed Bladon on the Jerusalem Light Rail just hours before being told by his son that the family wanted nothing to do with him, had previously received treatment in the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center, and had sought to kill himself before. He has since been deemed unfit for trial after psychological assessment.
The 14 April killing received widespread reporting in the UK, with footballers from Derby County – who Bladon supported – holding a minute’s silence ahead of their recent game against Huddersfield Town.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
