Wael Ghanem

August 7, 2001 - Wael Ghanem, 32, an Arab Israeli resident of Taibeh, was shot and killed by Palestinian assailants on the road near Kalkilya. Police believe he was murdered because of suspected collaboration with Israeli authorities.

Wael Ghanem drove his car to the area, where two or three persons waited for him on the roadside and opened fire. No bullet holes were found on the car, suggesting that Ghanem was executed by shots close to the head. The initial investigation suggests that the killers arrived at the site in a Palestinian taxi which came from the town of Kalkilya.

Ghanem, originally from a village near Kalkilya, received an Israeli identity card seven years ago. Five years ago he met and married Rania Masarwah, 32, and the couple moved to her home town, Taibeh. He worked as a waiter in a number of restaurants in Israel until he was recently dismissed, following the general decline in the tourist industry. He had been working as a gardener since then.

Wael Ghanem is survived by his wife and three children, the youngest aged three months.