Israeli soldiers erased footage of settler who shot dead Palestinian man

Israeli soldiers erased footage of settler who shot dead Palestinian man
B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, released a report on Sunday on the death of Mohammed Abd al-Fatah.
2 min read
15 April, 2019
Israeli security forces near the Huwara checkpoint south of Nablus [AFP/Getty]
Israeli soldiers covered up the murder of a Palestinian man who was shot dead on 3 April by settlers after he threw stones at their car.

An investigation by B'Tselem revealed a distinctly different chain of events than reported by the media, which claim a "Palestinian attacker" was shot dead "by two armed Israeli civilians" when he attempted a stabbing near Huwara in the West Bank.

In the rights group's report, Abd al-Fatah - a 23-year-old who was married and had a daughter - provoked the anger of Yehoshua Sherman when one of the stones the Palestian man was throwing hit his vehicle.

Sherman proceeded to fire at Abd al-Fatah, getting out of the car and moving towards the dumpster which he was crouched behind. A truck stopped and another man joined Sherman in shooting the young Palestinian.

Abd al-Fatah died shortly afterwards in Beilinson Hospital in Israel. Another man was hit in the abdomen by the shots and recovered in Rifidiya Hospital, Nablus.

"Sherman's shooting of Abd al-Fatah was unjustified, as the latter had already moved away from the car and was kneeling behind some dumpsters," wrote B'Tselem in its report.

The events as described by B'Tselem is allegedly confirmed by partial video footage published in the media.

Israeli soldiers arrived on the scene within minutes and are reported to have entered nearby shops, checking security cameras and erasing footage of the incident.

The rights group said the solders did this to ensure "the truth never comes to light".

B'Tselem called for the arrest and questioning of the shooters, but added: "Yet given the troops' conduct immediately after the incident, and Israel's longstanding policy, the chances of this are slim to none".

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