Palestinians say youth shot in Naalin uninvolved in riot
Neighbor of 18-year-old critically wounded in Palestinian village on Wednesday says he was shot by Border Police officers at close range while standing in his front yard, far from rioting
Scant hours after scores attended the funeral of 11-year old Ahmed Moussa in the West Bank village of Naalin, an 18-year-old Palestinian youth was critically wounded there after protestors opposing the construction of the separation fence there resumed their demonstrations.
The IDF said it was looking in to the claim, however local residents told Ynet on Thursday that the youth, Yusuf Ahmed Younis – who was declared brain dead by his Ramallah doctors – was not taking part in the increasingly violent riots.
According to the residents, Border Police officers pulled up by the youth's home and shot him at close range while the latter was standing in his yard.
The clashes at Naalin continued intermittently throughout Wednesday and well into the night. Muhammad A'mira, who said Younis was his neighbor, told Ynet: "We were standing in the courtyard shared by both our houses and were watching the clashes. Younis wasn't involved in it in any way.
"All of a sudden a jeep pulled up next to us. We looked at the jeep, and then towards the youths who were rioting, to see what was going on. And then there was a gunshot and Yusuf, who was standing next to me, just fell to the ground.
"The soldier had just fired from a slit within the jeep, barely 20 feet away. I didn't understand where it had come from and why it happened. The confrontations were a fair distance from us, there was no reason for this shooting."
A'mira said that the two had not been holding rocks or any other objects that could have posed a threat to the troops, and added that there appeared to be nothing endangering the troops at all. "This was
malicious, willful gunfire, and there was no reason for it," he said.
The Naalin anti-fence committee said it may file a complaint following the incident – even though, they say, it will not lead to any result.
The army reiterated that anyone taking part in violent public disturbances and hurling rocks at security forces and Israeli vehicles traveling nearby should take into account that the IDF will respond with means of riot dispersal. The Border Police said there are strict regulations regarding the use of rubber-coated bullets, and that the claim is being investigated.
