Posted on 1-1-2004
Israeli soldier
held on shooting of Briton
An Israeli soldier has been arrested after admitting that he
shot in the head a British peace activist, leaving him in a
persistent vegetative state.
The Israeli military announced yesterday that the soldier had
been accused over the shooting of 22-year-old Tom Hurndall following
an inquiry which was urged on them by the student's family and
the Foreign Office.
Mr Hurndall was shot eight months ago in a Palestinian refugee
camp in the Gaza Strip as he tried to help children out of the
path of an Israeli tank.
The Israeli army claimed the man they shot was wearing camouflage
and was carrying a gun - a claim denied by Mr Hurndall's family.
The Foreign Office pressed for a full criminal investigation
into the incident and in May Jack Straw was promised by the
Israelis that there would be a "full and transparent inquiry".
The Foreign Office said it "greatly welcomed" the
arrest and reiterated its call for a thorough investigation.
Mr Hurndall's family yesterday said the arrest was a vindication
of their months-long campaign for a full investigation of the
shooting, because the army's initial report was a "straightforward
fabrication".
But Mr Hurndall's mother, Jocelyn, said she was still dubious
about the outcome of the military inquiry. "I remain sceptical
... but I'm hopeful," she told Sky News. "I think
this is the first positive step. We wish every Israeli soldier
to get the message very clearly that they cannot shoot with
impunity, that they are answerable for their actions."
Mr Hurndall's sister, Sophie, said: "We absolutely knew
from our own investigation that Tom was not carrying a gun and
that the army's initial investigation was an attempt to blame
him.
"I'm relieved they've finally admitted the truth but the
Israeli military does not have a good track record of holding
soldiers to account so we want to see if he is tried and receives
an appropriate sentence."
Mr Hurndall, who was a volunteer for the International Solidarity
Movement, is in a vegetative state in a London hospital with
a large part of his brain shot away. His family say they are
still considering whether to seek a court order to shut off
his life support.
The detained soldier, who has not been named, is a member of
the Bedouin Patrol Battalion. A statement by the military said
he was arrested after admitting that he had falsely claimed
to have shot at a man who had a pistol.
The military said that under interrogation the soldier admitted
that Mr Hurndall was not carrying a gun and that he had opened
fire "in proximity to an unarmed civilian in order to deter
him".
The soldier was in a watch-tower when he shot Mr Hurndall from
about 150 yards. He also claimed to have been returning fire
after being shot at by Palestinian gunmen, but the army now
accepts that was not true.
The army said it views the soldier's admissions with the "utmost
severity".
The military advocate general will decide whether the arrested
man will be charged with unlawful killing or lesser offences
such as breaching "open fire rules" and lying to investigators.
Ms Hurndall said she believes the investigation of her brother's
shooting has only progressed as far as it has because he is
foreign and the Israelis came under diplomatic pressure from
Britain.
The Israeli army has grown increasingly worried about the perception
that it is trigger happy. About one-fifth of all Palestinians
killed by Israeli soldiers are children, many of them in Rafah
refugee camp, where Mr Hurndall was shot.
Last week, the army shot and wounded two Israeli peace activists
protesting at construction of the "security fence"
through the West Bank. Politicians demanded to know why live
ammunition was used against the unarmed protesters, although
it is routinely used against Palestinians.
A month after Mr Hurndall was shot, Israeli soldiers in Rafah
killed James Miller, a 34-year-old British television cameraman.
The army has repeatedly delayed the release of its report into
Mr Miller's death.
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