'State looking for scapegoat'
Trial of two former soldiers charged with endangering Palestinian boy during Operation Cast Lead resumes. Attorney claims establishment looking to make example out of them following Goldstone Report
The trial of two Givati Brigade soldiers charged with endangering a nine-year-old Palestinian boy during Operation Cast Lead resumed at the Southern Command's Military Court on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, the two asked the boy to open bags suspected of containing explosives. The affair continues to cause a storm in the military establishment, and there are those who claim that the military was simply looking for a scapegoat after the publication of the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of committing war crimes.
During the session, it was revealed that the Military Police investigators collected testimonies from one of the suspects at a shopping mall, and from the other at his home.
The suspects' attorney, Ilan Katz told Ynet this is a very serious matter, which likely stems from pressure put on the investigators, who knew that the two were approaching the end of the first year since their discharge, meaning military law would soon no longer apply to them.
During the hearing, Katz claimed that one of the former soldiers' testimonies was collected without warning, despite the fact that he gave details that may be used to incriminate his comrade.
"We will demand that this testimony be disqualified," the lawyer said, "There are laws, and everyone must abide by them." According to Katz, his line of defense will be revealed in the hearing scheduled for June 20.
The two are charged with overstepping authority to the point of endangering human life, and conduct unbecoming. The two face a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
During Wednesday's session, the military prosecution submitted, behind closed doors, the testimony of the soldiers' commanding officers.
Months after the start of the trial, the two are still shocked the affair has reached this point. They refused to speak with the media, but at the start of the hearing, the former soldiers claimed the military establishment was looking for a scapegoat. "They chose fighters who didn't do anything wrong," one claimed.
The other suspect said he felt hurt and betrayed: "It's a pity it has come to this. I hope the State comes to its senses."
