New details emerge from soldier who shot neutralized terrorist in Hebron
New details emerge of the moments after the the soldier shot a terrorist who was lying on the ground. 'He stabbed my friend. He deserves to die,' the solider is alleged to have said.
Amongst these new details are claims that he changed his testimony, that he lost the trust of his commanders, and that he shot the terrorist after taking off his helmet at the scene.
The IDF prosecutor, Lt. Col. Adorm Rigler, said in the hearing that "the soldier shot without any operational necessity. Additional suspicion has been aroused due to evidence that came up over the past two days against the suspect. This suspicion is based on a video which was filmed in real time and documented the suspect's actions."
The case against the soldier was further strengthened by what the soldier was quoted as saying after the event. According to the company commander, after confronting the soldier about the incident, the soldier said, "The terrorist was alive. He should die."
The soldier who shot at the terrorist reportedly said this seconds after the event, and other eyewitnesses confirmed that this was said. The suspect is also alleged to have said that "the terrorist stabbed my friend. He they deserve to die." Two other soldiers confirmed that before the event the suspect said, "The terrorist stabbed my friend."
These quotes may indicate the state of mind and motivations of the soldier.
The prosecution also says that the soldier's claimed reasons for the attack — that there was a clear and present danger to his life — are not in fact true. According to the prosecutor, "The suspect's claims are different than what he said in real time, and, therefore, his testimony was false."
Chaos outside the courtroom: 'You've abandoned a soldier in the field'
A protest gathered outside of the courtroom where the hearing took place, with demonstrators calling to "send the boy home." They then used speakers to blast the song The Medic's Ballad, performed by Yehoram Gaon.Amongst the protestors was Ron Carmi from Nes Ziona, who yelled into the microphone towards the courthouse, "I am addressing the soldier's commanders: Take your things and leave, you clowns! You abandoned a solider in the field and are letting him bleed. You should have insisted to be in the cell with him, even if he made a mistake, even if he was enraged. We will not forgive, and we will not forget, and we will also settle our score with the politicians. Judge Ronen Shorr, you have no right to decide what this man's sentence will be. You should resign."
On Sunday: The autopsy
The High Court of Justice ruled that there will be an autopsy of the terrorist, which will be carried out on Sunday, against the initial wishes of the terrorist's family.
Supreme Court Justice Meni Mazuz said to the family's representative, "Pathological science is science. There isn't 'Palestinian' science, there isn't 'Arab' science, and there isn't 'American' science. Everything is done by the same methods as with everyone else. Four different parties getting involved can't result in anything good. It can cause further complications, especially if is going to be a criminal investigation. Your pathologist can be there too."
Yoav Zitun, Amir Alon, Telem Yahav, and Elisha Ben Kimon contributed to this story.
