Border Police volunteer was sentenced to seven months in prison on Monday over the death of an illegal Palestinian worker in 2013.
David Arik Bibi Rubi, 43, agreed to a plea bargain with the prosecution, which will also include an additional four months of probation following his release from prison.
- In November 2013, Rubi arrived at the Yarkon cemetery as part of a joint police operation to identify and arrest illegal Palestinian workers.
After a group of 41 illegal Palestinian workers had been discovered and detained, Rubi was assigned to watch over them while forces continued their searches for additional suspects. At this point, Antar Akra, one of the workers rounded up in the sweep, attempted to escape.
According to the indictment, Rubi gave chase to Akra and ordered him to stop. Akra then ducked down—an act that, according to the defense, led Rubi to believe that the Palestinian had picked up a rock or another weapon with which to attack him.
Rubi drew his weapon and shot Akra in the chest, killing him.
During his testimony, Akra's father, an officer in the Palestinian security services, detailed the tragedy his family had been going through following the death of his son.
Commander of the Border Police, Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, also testified during the trial, adding that Rubi, whom he personally knew, acted out of a sense of mission and that immediately after the shooting, Rubi provided emergency first aid to Akra.
In reading the verdict, Kfar Saba Magistrate's Court Judge Michael Karshen referred to the incident, saying, "We have a serious case of negligence before us today that had lethal consequences." Karshen also ordered Rubi to pay Akra's parents NIS 30,000 and his widow NIS 70,000 in compensation.