On Jan. 18, Chairman of the Joint Arab List Ayman Odeh hurried to set the narrative to describe the violent events that occurred earlier that morning in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran. The police operation to evacuate the village left Sgt. Maj. Erez Amadi Levi dead after he was struck by a car driven by one of the residents. The forced evacuation occurred after negotiations between the residents and the authorities blew up the night before. On the table was the willing evacuation of the village by its residents, in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling.

Photos of Knesset member Odeh bleeding from a head wound appeared in all the media and were shared across social networks. In interviews from the Soroka hospital, Odeh claimed he was struck by rubber bullets fired at him by police. The police reject this, saying that he was hurt by a rock thrown by rioters.

Upon leaving the hospital, Odeh continued to disseminate his preferred version of events. He contended that negotiations that night could have prevented the bloodshed, but “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already marked the Arab population as public enemy No. 1, cruelly decided to destroy an entire village — to shoot and kick men, women and children.” He then called for the formation of an official committee of inquiry, saying, “It is absolutely awful that there are unrecognized villages without water or electricity and without an education system. This is a just struggle. Don’t be confused by the disinformation and lies.”

Odeh is right about one thing: This serious event demands an in-depth investigation, including an investigation into conflicting accounts surrounding the circumstances that led to the shooting of local resident Yacoub Abu al-Kiyan seconds before he ran over the police officer. The police were quick to determine that the attack was intentional. They asserted that Abu al-Kiyan was suspected of having ties to the Islamic State. On the other hand, video of the incident raises the possibility that police officers on the scene shot at the driver, causing the vehicle to careen out of control.