Army Admits the Unprovoked Shooting of UK Peace Activists
IMEMC Staff & Agencies
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/January%202004/army%20admitts%20killing.htm
Israeli Military Police arrested and questioned the soldier suspected of shooting the British peace activists Tom Hurndall in Rafah last April.
Hurndall, 22, a student from Manchester and a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), was wounded by army gunfire in the Yabne neighborhood of the Rafah refugee camp an April 11, 2003.
Eyewitnesses and other ISM activists charged that army snipers started shooting at crowds of people, including children, without any provocation.
In the first army release after the shooting of Hurndall, army denied any relation to the shooting incident. Later, army spokesperson said that Hurndall was in uniform and used a machine gun to shoot at soldiers.
ISM spokesperson at the time of the incident explained that Hurndall was hit by a sniper bullet as he attempted to move a Palestinian child from the army line of fire, claiming that soldiers in a tank stationed in the seen opened fire, without any prior provocation in the direction of crowds of civilians, including children.
Last September, Army decided to close the investigation in Hurndall’s case claiming that army operated according to acceptable standards and regulations.
Hurndall parents demanded a proper inquiry to the shooting incident and took, in cooperation with ISM necessary procedures in Israel and in the U.K to fight against closing the file of the shooting of their son.
Last month, apparently under pressure from the U.K. government Israel accepted to re-investigate the case.
Hurndall's mother welcomed the arrest and said it must be made clear to Israeli soldiers that they were answerable for their actions and could not shoot with impunity.
According to the investigation results, the soldier, who initially claimed that he returned fire after an armed Palestinian shot at him, later admitted that “he fired in proximity to unarmed civilian as a deterrent”
Hurndall's mother Jocelyn welcomed the arrest but said she was still dubious about the outcome of the military inquiry. "I remain skeptical... but I'm hopeful," she told Sky news. "I think this is the first positive step.
"We wish the rules of engagement in Israel to be looked at extremely seriously," she said. "We wish every Israeli soldier to get the message very clearly that they cannot shoot with impunity, that they are answerable for their actions."
The Hurndalls still accuse the findings of the army investigation t be childish and unsubstantial.
Palestinians hope that the Hurndall’s case would pave the way for a proper investigation in the killings of thousands of innocent civilians and produce enough pressure against the shooting of Palestinians during army operations inside the Palestinian territories.
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