Archive photo
צילום: סבסטיאן שיינר
IDF: Confiscate settler soldiers' rifles
Military Prosecutor's Office asks military court to take away rifles of two settler troops accused of firing at Palestinians, left-wing activists while off duty
The IDF Northern Command's court is expected to rule on a sensitive question Sunday: Should the army take away the rifles of two IDF soldiers accused of firing at Palestinians and left-wing activists while off duty?
The Military Prosecutor's Office asked the court to confiscate the rifles of both soldiers, who are residents of the West Bank settlement of Elon Moreh. The two sergeants, one a fighter at the haredi Nahal unit and the other a combat soldier at the Barak armored division, were indicted before Independence Day.
On March 31, the two soldiers joined a group of settlers who confronted Palestinian farmers at an olive grove in the West Bank. Left-wing Kibbutz Movement volunteers, who arrived to assist the Palestinians, also participated in the clashes.
During the confrontation between the sides, several shots rang out, but no injuries were reported. Police investigators launched a probe into the affair and after examining bullet casings at the scene were led to the two soldiers. The troops were on vacation at the time of the incident and apparently joined a group of settlers who clashed with the Palestinians.
The IDF Criminal Investigation Division became involved in the affair and following a military court order, the soldiers' rifles were taken away from them and they were confined to their base until the investigation's completion.
The Military Prosecutor's Office maintained that the soldiers should be put behind bars and not be allowed to return to their units. According to the prosecutor, evidence showed that one of the soldiers pointed his loaded weapon at the Palestinians and that the soldiers returned to the site after the incident in order to further fan the flames.
The prosecutor claimed that the two soldiers were off duty and that their behavior was severe.
"There was no security incident that justified using weapons…they came to impose order there and frighten the Palestinians. This is an inappropriate objective that must be condemned," he said.
'Security forces to blame'
The prosecutor added that the evidence showed the soldiers were not in any danger and that "there is room to continue their confinement and prohibit them from carrying weapons."
Defense Attorney Adi Keidar claimed that some of the evidence was inadequate, "because the film documenting the events is edited and not completed."
The defense attorney asked that the weapons be returned to the two soldiers and that they be allowed to rejoin their unit. Attorney Keidar said that the two soldiers' lives were in danger "both by stones being thrown at them and by mines held up by the Palestinian farmers."
The attorney said security forces were to blame for the incident because they were not in the area to impose order.
"The accused are soldiers, but they did not come as soldiers in this event. One can see that most of the community's residents were armed. They did not come there as soldiers imposing their authority but came with their friends in light of the powerlessness of police, who did not remove the Palestinians," he charged.
Judge Lieutenant Colonel Erez Port is expected to rule on the matter on Sunday.
