IDF soldier gets two weeks for shooting Palestinian

By Amira Hass
Haaretz
Dec. 03, 2006

An Israel Defense Forces soldier who shot and seriously injured a Palestinian at a roadblock, was sentenced to 14 days in a military prison. Military Police wll investigate further.

Haytem Yasin, 25, was shot by the soldier on November 4, at the roadblock of Asira al-Shemaliya. Since the incident he is being treated at Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, where he is in serious condition as a result of major abdominal injuries.

According to testimonies collected by the human rights group B'Tselem, Yasin was shot after he told the soldiers that they should not ask women to run their hands over their bodies as a means of searching for concealed arms.

Military sources told Haaretz that the investigation at the brigade level was completed earlier this week, and a probe was carried out yesterday at the divisional level based on the evidence collected in the first investigation. It was also decided that the case will be transfered to the Military Police for further examination.

According to a senior military source, the trial of the soldier by a disciplinary court would prevent bringing him before a court martial.

The details of the incident collected by B'Tselem suggests that the soldier pushed Yasin in response to his comment, and Yasin pushed the soldier back. The soldier then hit Yasin, and two other soldiers joined the fracas, trying to grab Yasin, and hit him, while Yasin tried resisting. At some point the soldiers fired in the air and on the ground. Even after Yasin fell to the ground, they grabbed and threw him against the cement blocks used to make a roadblock. He was cuffed and the soldiers continued to hit and kick him.

Yasin had been living with his parents in Algeria, and came to visit for several months. When his parents learned of the injuries to their son, they returned to the territories.