Previously indicted soldier
Photo: Tsafrir Abayov
Soldier indicted for looting in West Bank
Another Givati soldier admits he stole from Palestinian, attorney says confession extracted unlawfully
Another Givati Brigade soldier was indicted for looting Monday during an IDF operation in the West Bank. The indictment is the second accusing a Givati combat soldier of theft from Palestinians.
The incident occurred in November 2008, and has been under investigation for a number of months. Two soldiers were suspected by investigators to have entered a home in Beit Furik village and to have taken cash they found there.
Not So Long Ago
Hanan Greenberg
Givati Brigade troop admits to taking card from Palestinian home and withdrawing money
Last week the two soldiers were arrested, but one was released after investigators discovered he was not linked to the crime. His friend admitted to the charges and said he had stolen NIS 500 ($125), which he later spent on entertainment.
The indictment against the soldier, who is about to be discharged from the army, also charges him with disrupting the investigation by attempting to persuade his friend not to tell investigators what had happened. Military police have asked to remand his arrest until the termination of proceedings against him.
The soldier's attorney says investigators interrogating him used unlawful means in order to extract his confession and denied him the right to representation. "This is an outstanding combat commander who did not do the deed," attorney Meir Vegisir said.
The indictment is the second to accuse a Givati soldier of looting within a month. Earlier a soldier from the brigade admitted to stealing NIS 1,600 ($400) from a credit card he stole from a Palestinian during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.
