donderdag, januari 01, 2004
An Israeli soldier from the IDF's Bedouin Desert Patrol unit was arrested this week after he admitted shooting British activist Tom Hurndall, 22, in Rafiah on April 11. Hurndall, a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who was reportedly shielding Palestinian children, was critically wounded in the head and is hospitalized in a coma in Britain.
The soldier had initially claimed that he had returned fire at "a man armed with a pistol," but after a Military Police investigation and a series of complaints, including several from Britain and the Hurndall family, the soldier changed his story. He told the investigators that he had shot at the unarmed civilian as a deterrent. "The criminal investigation of the incident is still continuing," the army said in a statement.
Hurndall had been working with ISM activists in the Rafiah area as "human shields" to place themselves between the Israeli soldiers operating there and the Palestinian residents. The Thomas Hurndall Fund website said he was "a young photographer observing and recording the work of a peace group in Gaza" when he was shot.
The Israeli government has accused ISM members of breaking the law and assisting terror groups. ISM members, along with left-wing Israelis and Palestinians, protested yesterday against Israel's construction of the security fence near the village of Burdos in the Ramallah area. Several demonstrators and two Border Policemen were injured in the protest; some of the protesters are candidates to be deported from Israel.
Palestinian medics and witnesses said Hurndall was trying to pull two Palestinian children out of danger when shots were deliberately fired from a nearby army watchtower on April 11. Hurndall was wearing a fluorescent orange jacket at the time, identifying him as a foreign national. The IDF originally said it had no knowledge of such a shooting.
Hurndall was hit in the head and critically wounded and was subsequently pronounced clinically dead. After being treated at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva, he was flown to the UK on May 29. He is now in a vegetative state at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Putney after suffering severe brain damage from which he is not expected to recover.
Following the shooting, there were calls for the incident to investigated but the IDF only officially launched its investigation in October. The ISM said at the time that it wanted an independent investigation, charging that one undertaken by the army "will not be impartial." British diplomats welcomed the latest developments in the investigation. "We attach great importance to seeking an outcome that will be satisfactory for Tom's family," the Foreign Office said.
Hurndall's mother welcomed the arrest, and said that Israel must make clear to its soldiers that they cannot shoot civilians "with impunity." "I remain skeptical but I'm hopeful," Jocelyn Hurndall told Sky News. "I think this is the first positive step. We wish the rules of engagement in Israel to be looked at extremely seriously. We wish every Israeli soldier to get the message very clearly that they cannot shoot with impunity, that they are answerable for their actions."
Bron: israelinsider.
The soldier had initially claimed that he had returned fire at "a man armed with a pistol," but after a Military Police investigation and a series of complaints, including several from Britain and the Hurndall family, the soldier changed his story. He told the investigators that he had shot at the unarmed civilian as a deterrent. "The criminal investigation of the incident is still continuing," the army said in a statement.
Hurndall had been working with ISM activists in the Rafiah area as "human shields" to place themselves between the Israeli soldiers operating there and the Palestinian residents. The Thomas Hurndall Fund website said he was "a young photographer observing and recording the work of a peace group in Gaza" when he was shot.
The Israeli government has accused ISM members of breaking the law and assisting terror groups. ISM members, along with left-wing Israelis and Palestinians, protested yesterday against Israel's construction of the security fence near the village of Burdos in the Ramallah area. Several demonstrators and two Border Policemen were injured in the protest; some of the protesters are candidates to be deported from Israel.
Palestinian medics and witnesses said Hurndall was trying to pull two Palestinian children out of danger when shots were deliberately fired from a nearby army watchtower on April 11. Hurndall was wearing a fluorescent orange jacket at the time, identifying him as a foreign national. The IDF originally said it had no knowledge of such a shooting.
Hurndall was hit in the head and critically wounded and was subsequently pronounced clinically dead. After being treated at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva, he was flown to the UK on May 29. He is now in a vegetative state at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Putney after suffering severe brain damage from which he is not expected to recover.
Following the shooting, there were calls for the incident to investigated but the IDF only officially launched its investigation in October. The ISM said at the time that it wanted an independent investigation, charging that one undertaken by the army "will not be impartial." British diplomats welcomed the latest developments in the investigation. "We attach great importance to seeking an outcome that will be satisfactory for Tom's family," the Foreign Office said.
Hurndall's mother welcomed the arrest, and said that Israel must make clear to its soldiers that they cannot shoot civilians "with impunity." "I remain skeptical but I'm hopeful," Jocelyn Hurndall told Sky News. "I think this is the first positive step. We wish the rules of engagement in Israel to be looked at extremely seriously. We wish every Israeli soldier to get the message very clearly that they cannot shoot with impunity, that they are answerable for their actions."
Bron: israelinsider.
# posted by Jan-Edward : 15:53
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