Major Razi Raveh, the IDF officer who was rescued by Palestinian security forces after entering the West Bank city of Jenin by mistake on Monday, was sentenced Wednesday to 28 days in a military prison.
Raveh was on his way to the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank when he accidentally drove into Jenin.
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Senior Central Command officials define entry of IDF major into Jenin as 'extremely serious incident'. Officer, who took wrong turn on his way to northern West Bank, rescued by Palestinian police officers after being attacked by mob. 'He owes his life to those officers,' IDF officials say |
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Local Palestinian residents, who spotted the officer, stoned his car, forced him out and began beating him. At this point, a Palestinian policeman saw the mob and called for backup. The security officers managed to extract Raveh from the crowd moments before his vehicle was set on fire.
The IDF Central Command's investigation of the incident found that Raveh failed to comply with military protocol prohibiting Israeli vehicles from moving along West Bank roads unescorted.
This failure, said the court, resulted in the life-threatening event.
It was further discovered the Raveh passed through an IDF checkpoint on his way, but was not stopped by the soldiers manning it.
Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, claimed later that they attempted to lure an IDF officer into Jenin with the intent to kidnap him. They blamed Palestinian preventive security forces for foiling their plan.
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