An IDF soldier of the same West Bank battalion under investigation for the death of an elderly Palestinian man, was accused by a military court on Sunday of causing a fatal car crash in the West Bank and recklessly killing a Palestinian father.
According to the indictment, the incident took place in December 2020, and saw the former soldier, driving a confiscated Palestinian vehicle that was officially banned for use on public roads, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
At some point, the soldier lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a nearby car driven by Mustafa Araara, who was accompanied by his son Majed. The force of the collision killed Araara on the spot and gravely injured his son.
An investigation into the crash later revealed that the soldier was part of a much bigger and worryingly widespread phenomenon that saw soldiers often misuse faulty cars confiscated from Palestinians in the West Bank.
The soldier himself was charged with offenses pertaining to abuse of office, driving a vehicle without the permission of its owner, reckless homicide, reckless and negligent acts, driving without insurance and misconduct.
The accused claimed he was the victim of selective policing, since, and that the military chose to charge him alone although the same conduct in his battalion, was ignored by senior officers for years.
"The prosecution has taken a discriminatory and arbitrary approach here, leading to an improper distinction between cases in which soldiers and other commanders made illegal use of these vehicles,” the defendant's lawyer claimed.
“It seems that they are looking to punish the [soldier], in order to shirk responsibility and avoid persecuting senior officers who have acted in the same exact manner.”
The military said in response: "No other similar cases were found in the Military Police’s investigation... In any case, the investigation revealed that the soldier acted recklessly, and in violation of traffic rules, which resulted in the death of a person, and his entire conduct justified his prosecution before the military tribunal.”
The soldier’s former battalion, "Netzah Yehuda", is also under investigation for the death of 78-years-old Omar Abdalmajeed As'ad, who was found dead last month after being detained in the village of Jiljilya on Jan. 12.