Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition is shocked, saddened and outraged at the gruesome and trajic murder of Abu Obeida Abdel Salam Omran. On Friday August 13, 2010, Abu Obeida was deliberately run over and dragged with a car apparently during an attempted robbery at one of his gas stations in Houston Texas. The alleged killers were arrested by police after they fled the scene. Abu Obeida died that night from the injuries he had sustained during the attack. Abu Obeida is originally from the village of Burin near Nablus on the West Bank. He was 42 years old, married with two sons, Abu Obeida and Abu Ali Mustafa, and a daughter, Maryam. His wife is expecting another child.
Abu Obeida was a young man full of energy. He was actively involved in building Al-Awda’s chapter in Houston which he founded. He was a successful businessman and a leader in the community. He took part in the Viva Palestina US convoy to Gaza in 2009, and actively helped with employment, housing, financially or other ways all of the Palestinian refugees who recently arrived in Texas from Al-Waleed camp in Iraq. Abu Obeida was a dedicated activist for his people’s right to return to their original homes and lands from which they have been dispossessed by Zionist forces and the Israeli state beginning in the 1948 era. He was in his first year of service as a member of the national coordinating committee of Al-Awda and was responsible for the external affairs of the organization. He strongly believed in strengthening, expanding and consolidating efforts in Al-Awda, and was working with colleagues in Texas to develop chapters of the organization in four other cities in that state. In addition to several other projects, Abu Obeida was most recently organizing with colleagues in Texas and elsewhere a conference to take place in Houston in October 2010 to advance the campaign for one democratic state in all of Palestine with the restoration and implementation of Palestinian rights in full. Abu Obeida and his leadership will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.
We extend our deepest condolences to Abu Obeida’s family, friends and our community. We have lost a comrade and share in your grief.
