Palestinian boy died in shooting
Photo: Hanan Greenberg
Getting off easy
Investigation hits dead-end, officer to only face disciplinary action over death of Palestinian boy
GAZA - An IDF officer will be facing disciplinary action only, rather than a criminal trial, over his involvement in an incident last year that left 15-year-old Palestinian Khaled Ma'adi dead.
The lieutenant colonel, who is a former battalion commander in the Givati brigade, is getting off easy after the investigation into the affair hit a dead-end.
The incident, first exposed by Ynet about six months ago, involved a group of soldiers who just finished basic training and went for a "celebratory trip" through the Gaza Strip. However, as the route of trip extended along a sensitive area that was targeted before, the officer decided to place tanks and armored personnel carriers at key junctions and ordered them to fire warning shots to deter any attack.
Later, however, it was discovered the Palestinian youngster, who worked in a nearby field, died from the shooting. At the time, army officers said choosing that particular area for the "trip" was unnecessary and dangerous.
Palestinians refuse to cooperate
The investigation into the matter lasted months but hit several snags, including lack of cooperation from the Palestinians. Although the trip started at 9 a.m., the death report received from the Palestinians noted the time of death was 7 a.m.
"Despite repeated attempts to find the accurate time of death, they (Palestinians) did not agree to cooperate," an IDF source said.
A different hospital document put the time of death at 9:55 a.m., but subsequent requests to receive the bullets found in the boy's body for further examination met Palestinian resistance.
"There we realized it's unlikely to get a conviction, and therefore we decided to subject him (the officer) to disciplinary action…on the offense of illegal use of arms," an army prosecution source said.
