Prosecutors to charge Hebron 'execution' soldier with manslaughter
Prosecutors to charge Hebron 'execution' soldier with manslaughter
The Israeli soldier who shot dead a wounded Palestinian man in Hebron last month is to face manslaughter charges, the Israeli military said on Thursday.
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Abed Fatah al-Sharif was shot dead while lying wounded on the ground [AFP]
A soldier caught on video "executing" a wounded Palestinian man will face manslaughter charges, the Israeli military announced on Thursday.
The soldier, who remains unnamed, appeared in a military court on Thursday, where his detention was extended until Monday.
The military said that prosecutors informed the court that they plan on charging the soldier with manslaughter, but are still working out some technical details before formally indicting him.
At the time, the Israeli military said two Palestinians stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier before troops shot and killed the pair.
However, a video of the March 24 killing in the flashpoint occupied West Bank city of Hebron was released by human rights group B'Tselem, sparking an outcry.
It showed 21-year-old Abed Fatah al-Sharif, lying wounded on the ground, apparently after being shot.
The soldier approaches, then shoots him again, in the head, without any apparent provocation.
An autopsy determined the bullet to the head was the cause of death.
The case has threatened to further provoke Israeli-Palestinian tensions amid a wave of violence that began in October.
Several hundred of the soldier's supporters protested outside the military base where the court is located during a previous court hearing last month, demanding his release.
A survey conducted after the killing by a national Israeli television channel showed 57 percent of Israelis opposed the arrest of the soldier.
An extra 42 percent rallied behind the soldier who they believed took "responsible" actions in shooting dead the severely injured Palestinian, while only five percent of Israelis surveyed described the extra-judicial killing as murder.
In the latest violence, also on Thursday, the military said a Palestinian man attempted to attack a soldier with an axe before the alleged assailant was shot and killed.
It said the attack occurred near al-Aroub, a village in the southern West Bank. The army said the soldier was lightly wounded.
Violence since October has left 28 Israelis and more than 200 Palestinians dead.
Israeli troops have been accused of using excessive force, with international rights groups accusing the army of carrying out summary executions of alleged Palestinian attackers.
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