Exclusive: Court holds first hearing against IDF soldiers for killing Palestinian minor
Source: Times of Israel
In 40 years, no similar indictment has been filed, not even in IDF courts, defense attorney for suspects in 2013 incident argues.
The Ramle Magistrate’s Court held its first hearing Thursday in a case where two former IDF soldiers have been indicted for negligent homicide for shooting and killing an unarmed 16-year-old Palestinian boy near the West Bank security barrier in January 2013.
Supporters of the slain boy, Samir Awad, said the indictment should have been at least for the more serious charge of manslaughter and that the IDF and the state want to sweep the case under the rug. The defense lawyers argued that the two soldiers are being arbitrarily singled out when no other IDF soldiers have been indicted for firing and killing Palestinians in similar operational circumstances in 40 years.
The defense lawyers, Shlomo Rachvi and Idan Pesach, also say they will argue that the IDF and the state were applying the wrong rules of engagement to a complex incident that occurred over a mere 32 seconds. In addition, the case could turn into a public battle over classified IDF rules of engagement.
The hearing was originally intended to be for the purposes of arraignment, but the defense attorneys did not enter pleas for the soldiers. Rather, they told Judge Ami Kobo that they intend to submit a special request to the attorney-general to permanently halt the case. They argued that the attorney-general should not allow details on rules of engagement that would be revealed during a trial to go public.
Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Exclusive-Court-holds-first-hearing-against-IDF-soldiers-for-killing-Palestinian-minor-451245