Israa Ghrayeb: Palestinian woman's death prompts soul-searching

When a young woman was admitted to Al Hussein hospital with a fractured spine and bruises on her body and face, doctors began to treat yet another case of traumatic injury.

Everyone here was used to young patients arriving with devastating wounds.

The hospital is located close to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, whose streets lead past packed suburban refugee camps to Israeli army checkpoints and the foreboding separation barrier - all frequent flashpoints for violence.

But Israa Ghrayeb's story was different.

It would unravel into tragedy, protest and much soul searching over the protection of women from gender-based violence in Palestinian society.

"It's going to be a very important turning point and we will always remember Israa Ghrayeb," says Randa Siniora, who runs the Palestinian Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counselling.

Less than a fortnight after her initial admission on 10 August, Israa was brought to hospital again but this time the doctors could do nothing. She was dead.

The authorities, now under significant pressure over their handling of the case, have since said she had suffered fatal injuries after being beaten.

Palestinian Attorney-General Akram al-Khateeb held a news conference on Thursday in which he described Israa as a victim of domestic abuse.

He said that she was subjected to psychological pressure and physical violence, as well as what he called "conjuring and illusions" by members of her family.

Three of Israa's male relatives have been charged with assault leading to her death.

For campaigners, the case has revealed much about a lack of basic legal protections for Palestinian women.

"Israa was very independent and outgoing," one friend told the BBC, describing a vibrant and self-motivated woman.

"Her dream was to become famous in her line of work," he said.

The 21-year-old was an unmistakable face in her village of Beit Sahour, nestled beside Bethlehem in the steep hills of the West Bank.

She was a make-up artist whose striking images on Instagram attracted thousands of followers.

"I loved this black look I did on my stunning Mashallah," she wrote, using an Arabic phrase asking for God to bless the model she had made up in dark eyeshadow.

Israa came from a conservative family where strict social rules guide courtship between young women and men, and her use of social media would become a focal point amid the disputed circumstances that led up to her death.

She is believed to have posted to friends on social media a photo of herself and her fiancé in a coffee shop. The contents of the account have since been deleted.

According to local media coverage in the days after her death, family members regarded her being seen publicly with a man as dishonourable - even though they consented to the relationship.

Her injuries were explained as being self-inflicted. Her brother-in-law, Mohammed Safi, said she suffered from mental health problems and fell from a balcony at home - a claim prosecutors have since described as "invalid".

A smiling Israa posted pictures of her injuries online, apologising for having to postpone make-up appointments, adding: "My spine is broken and I have a surgery today. If the surgery goes well I will let you know and if not I will have to cancel everything."

Despite being seen by medical staff and taken for radiography tests, no further action appears to be have been taken by police at the time into what health officials admit were "signs of abuse".

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