Settler gets community service for weapons theft

Court issues incredibly light sentence to 19-year old after accepting plea of 'youthful frivolity'

Raanan Ben-Zur|Published: 02.21.11 , 22:19

A 19-year old settler was sentenced to just 100 hours of community service Monday, without a conviction, for stealing weapons and ammunition from IDF warehouses in the West Bank.

The Kfar Saba Magistrates' Court accepted his attorney's claim that the theft, executed three years ago, was a matter of "youthful frivolity" and decided to punish him lightly. He was also fined NIS 1,000 ($277).

In February of 2008 stun and gas grenades, ammunition for M-16 rifles, sniper rifles, and sub-machine guns, and a spike barrier were stolen from an IDF warehouse.

A week after the first incident there was once again a break-in at the warehouse, and more ammunition as well as sleeping bags and another spike barrier were stolen. A week later, binoculars, grenades, night-vision goggles, uniforms, shoes, and flashlights were stolen during a third break-in.

An investigation ended with a number of arrests, and searches held in two homes uncovered most of the stolen equipment. Only one of the suspects was an adult, and after his conviction was sentenced to five months in prison.

But the suspect whose sentence ended Monday, who was also a minor at the time, was not convicted. The court ordered him to post NIS 3,000 ($832) as security that he would not commit similar offenses.

His attorney, Dr. Nissan Sharifi, said his client had admitted to the charges and that they had been a product of "youthful frivolity" rather than ideology.

"He has expressed remorse for his actions and wants to rehabilitate his life. What needs to be investigated here is the ease with which the IDF's ammunition warehouses can be broken into," Sharifi added.