Two Israeli soldiers who killed an unarmed Palestinian boy in 2013 could be acquitted Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed recently.
The two soldiers a squad commander and a member of a squad opened fire in 2013 at 16-year-old Samir Awad in the vicinity of the Apartheid Wall near the village of Badras in the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Awad had been taking part in peaceful protests against the wall. He crossed the fence but when he saw Israeli soldiers he fled and was trapped between the first and second fence.
According to the indictment against the two soldiers as Awad fled the commander fired three bullets and the soldiers fired two bullets.
The boy was wounded and taken to a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah where he was pronounced dead. However it was not clear whose bullets killed him.
‘Days of Palestine’ reported that the soldiers were indicted on charges of recklessness and negligence which has a maximum penalty of three years. However the charges were not proven in court.
Israeli rights group B’Tselem carried out an investigation into the incident and proved that the boy was shot by the soldiers in spite of the fact he did not pose any danger to them noting that they violated the regulations on the issue.
The Israeli Public Prosecution is expected to make a decision prior to the next court hearing as negotiations for a plea bargain are currently underway.
The hearing is expected to take place on March 26.
(Palestine Chronicle)
