Release of Israeli Soldier Who Shot Blindfolded, Handcuffed Peace Activist, Ashraf Abu Rahma, by Israeli Occupation Forces Unit in Ni'lin

Soldier who shot prisoner at close range released

Date: 22 / 07 / 2008 Time: 09:29
Bethlehem – Ma'an –

The Israeli occupation soldier who was filmed shooting a rubber-coated metal bullet at a hand-cuffed Palestinian man returned to serve in his military division after Israeli military prosecutors released him on Tuesday.

In interrogation, the soldier said he received a directive to shoot at the Palestinian from his commander who was present at the time. However, the commander has denied giving the order, asserting that he just asked the soldier to point his rifle at the prisoner in order to scare the hand-cuffed young man

(How can he scare him? The blindfolded peace activist wouldn't see the gun pointed at him. It was an apparent war crime of shooting a blindfolded, handcuffed peace activist, involving the soldier who shot, the commanding officer who gave the order, and the soldiers who positioned the blindfolded, handcuffed peace activist for the shooting).

He claims not to have seen the incident despite appearing in the video.

The incident occurred in the village of Ni'lin west of Ramallah in the central West Bank on the 7 July. Ashraf Abu Rahma, 27, was arrested during a demonstration against the illegal Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall in Ni'lin. He told the press that Israeli soldiers attacked him after he was hand-cuffed and blind-folded before he was taken into a military jeep.

A 14-year-old Palestinian girl filmed the Israeli occupation soldier shooting Abu Rahma at his foot from a range of one and a half meters while he was hand-cuffed. The girl gave a copy of the film to the Israeli humanitarian organization, B'Tselem.

Eyewitnesses in Ni'lin said they saw the same soldier patrolling in the village the day after the assault.

The Israeli occupation army released the soldier who shot a blindfolded, handcuffed Palestinian peace activist in Ni'lin two weeks ago

Tuesday July 22, 2008 14:14 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Israeli National Radio reported on Monday evening that the Israeli Army District Attorney has released the Israeli soldier who shot a bound Palestinian civilian in Ni'lin village near Ramallah in the northern part of the West Bank two weeks ago.

A video showing an Israeli soldier shooting a blindfolded, handcuffed Palestinian peace activist in the village of Ni'lin near Ramallah raised uproar among human rights organizations.

The tape, which was released on Sunday by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, shows an Israeli soldier shooting Ashraf Abu Rahma with a rubber coated-steel bullet at a short range while his hands were tied (handcuffed) almost two weeks ago.

B'Tselem said that other soldiers witnessed the shooting but moved no limb to stop it, and demanded an investigation to be opened into the incident.

The shooting took place on July 7, 2008, during an anti-wall demonstration in the village. The video shows Abu Rahma taken to the military jeep by one soldier, while the other points his gun form a very short range at Abu Rahma and shoots him in his left foot.

The video was filmed by a 14-year-old Palestinian girl, from a window in her home in the village.

B'Tselem has distributed about 100 cameras to Palestinians throughout the West Bank over the last year, as part of their "Shooting Back" project.

B'Tselem released a video last month showing the beginning of an apparent assault by stick-wielding Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers.

The footage shows four people holding sticks approaching the farmers near the illegal Israeli settlement of Susya outside Hebron.

Dozens of similar violations go undocumented especially in nonviolent protests in remote villages that most media outlets do not reach.

The Israeli occupation soldier told the investigators that he opened fire at the Palestinian civilian after he had received orders by his commander.

The Israeli Defense Minister, Ehod Barak, said that this incident is against the morals of the Israeli army and an investigation will be conducted.

The Israeli Army District Attorney announced that the charges against the soldier will be dropped but the officer who gave the order will be questioned and may face charges.

Background:

Israeli Barbaric War Crime Videotaped: Israeli Soldier Shoots Blindfolded, Handcuffed Peace Activist Ashraf Abu Rahma from 1.5 Meters Distance

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