IDF: Yitzhar teens hit injured Palestinian

Army inquiry reveals more details on incident in which settler shot armed Palestinian near Orif last week. 'It could have ended with a lynch,' officer says

Yoav Zitun|Published: 06.02.12 , 23:28

Teenagers from Yitzhar tied up and hit a Palestinian man shot by one of the members of the settlement's emergency squad, an IDF inquiry indicates.

Last Saturday, Najah al-Safadi sustained serious gunshot wounds during a clash with settlers near the village of Orif, south of Nablus. The incident took place as some 30 settlers from Yitzhar and local Palestinians clashed on the village's outskirts.

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The Palestinians claimed that the settlers torched a nearby olive grove.

According to the inquiry, al-Safadi was shot after Jewish teenagers yelled "armed Palestinian." They then tied him up and beat him. An examination suggests he was armed with a knife. Al-Safadi was rescued by IDF soldiers who removed the teens from the site.

"This could have ended with a lynch had the soldiers not stepped in," said a senior officer with the Judea and Samaria Division. "An investigation into these teenagers has been launched, we have several testimonies and I believe we'll get to them."

The officer stated that the shooting was "borderline" claiming that fire should only be opened when the target appears to be an immediate threat to one's life.

Division commander Brigadier-General Hagai Mordechai has decided to confiscate the weapons of Yitzhar's emergency squad after one of them used his weapon to fire at a Palestinian whom he seriously injured a week earlier.

A criminal investigation has been launched in the case. An IDF inquiry suggests that an IDF officer seen standing next to the settler "act within reason."