Israelis guilty of Hebron killing

Israelis guilty of Hebron killing

news.bbc.co.uk

An Israeli court has convicted two border guards over the unlawful killing of a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank town of Hebron in 2002.

Imran Abu Hamdieh died after the two men, Shahar Botbeka and Denis Alhazov, pushed him from the back of a military vehicle travelling at 50mph (80km/h).

Earlier this year, another member of their unit was jailed for six and a half years, but he fled the country.

A fourth officer was jailed for four and a half years in a plea bargain.

Mr Abu Hamdieh was seized from outside his home in Hebron on 30 December 2002.

He suffered serious head injuries when members of the border police unit - celebrating the end of their posting in Hebron - made him jump from their jeep as it sped through the streets.

In Israeli law, the offence the policeman was convicted of, which translates from Hebrew as "killing", is usually used to denote cases where the death was not premeditated, in contrast to murder.

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I am wondering if this is going to set a precedent for the Israelis. Are they going to have to be more careful now with how they treat the Palestinians?

I see this as a good thing. These guards are now being taken to task for the more inhuman things that they are doing to these people. There is a big difference between guarding the border and abusing power.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by Rook1545
I am wondering if this is going to set a precedent for the Israelis. Are they going to have to be more careful now with how they treat the Palestinians?

Absolutely not. The Israelis have been shooting on border villages in the region from sniper posts for some time now. Once enough occupants are dead, they proceed to bulldoze the houses.

The mistreatment of the Palestinians in that region is not going to end, not voluntarily anyhow.

Granted, there are some Palestinians who provoke the Israelis... but it's not them who's being mistreated.

I think the message that this conviction sends is that hopefully, the Israeli people and the Israeli justice system are starting to wake up and smell the coffee.

A Palestinian population that is angry, abused, and feels they have no hope for justice is not a positive thing for Israel's national security.

A few more "non-miscarriages of justice" from them, and I'll have a bit more hope for the region, and for the species as well