IDF to confine soldier who shot innocent Palestinian to his base

Haaretz 21:48 02/08/2007

By Yuval Azoulay and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents

An Israel Defense Forces soldier who apparently shot a Palestinian civilian without justification near Hebron last week will be released to an "open remand" on his base until Tuesday, according to a Jaffa Military Court ruling issued Thursday.The lieutenant who commanded the force, however, will remain in full remand until Tuesday. The other four soldiers involved in the incident, in which they hijacked a Palestinian taxi in the village of Dahariya and shot and seriously wounded an innocent bystander, have already been released.The soldier to be sent to "open remand" on his base is the one suspected of actually pulling the trigger.

On Friday a military court extended the remand of the lieutenant and the soldier suspected of pulling the trigger, while the military police continued its investigation, ordered by GOC Central Command, Major General Gadi Shamni. A central command inquiry is being conducted concurrently. The suspects had originally claimed that one of the platoon's soldiers had sprained his ankle during a morning patrol in the village and was no longer able to walk. According to their testimony, the officer then decided to stop and commandeer a Palestinian taxi. The soldiers, belonging to the Lavi Battalion of the Kfir Infantry Brigade, went on to claim that after they had tied up the driver and taken control of the vehicle, another Palestinian approached the car. The soldiers decided he was acting "suspiciously" and one of them fired shots in his direction, wounding him in the neck. According to the IDF sources, the initial investigation revealed that the soldiers had lied, and that none of them had sprained an ankle. Instead, the platoon had decided on its own accord to carry out an undercover operation, without coordinating the operation with their superiors. They allegedly removed their uniforms, donned civilian clothing and then commandeered the taxi. One of the senior officers conducting the inquiry referred to the soldiers' actions as "stupidity stemming from over-motivation." The investigation into the soldiers' action revealed that they had not stopped to treat the wounded Palestinian, who was reportedly severely hurt, and had in fact left him behind bleeding. The soldiers also failed to report the incident. The affair only came to light after the media reported about the wounded man.