Ramouni's colleagues during funeral

Israeli authorities were quick to label the death a suicide.

But almost all Palestinians believe al-Ramouni was murdered by extremist settlers – a conviction built on inadequacies in the official report on his death and the context of persecution, marginalisation and deep fear felt by East Jerusalemites, and particularly those working in for Israeli employers, an MEE contributor reported. 

Gathering to pay their respects in Abu Dis yesterday afternoon, al-Ramouni’s colleagues at Egged said Palestinian drivers were hit by passengers and threatened, and that the word “Arab” was frequently used as a derogatory term against them. For the next two days, employees will continue a strike against the danger and harassment they face at work – a situation, they say, that’s based on racism and goes largely unrecognised by their Israeli employers.

“The Jewish Israelis, they hate us,” Nadeem, a driver in his early forties, told Middle East Eye.

“If they know that a driver is Arab, then they are going to start making it harder for them. They always curse us, and there is lots of tension between us, and this is only increasing. The attacks and the abuse are increasing. Their hatred against Arabs is growing every single day. It’s impossible to live with them and to deal with them anymore.”