Israeli Army officer cleared in killing
GAVIN RABINOWITZ
The Associated Press, 15 October 2004
Jerusalem -- The Israeli army on Friday cleared an officer accused by comrades of repeatedly shooting a 13-year-old Palestinian girl to make sure she was dead, but upheld his suspension because of his poor relations with subordinates.
An army investigation also found no wrongdoing by soldiers who fired at the girl as she approached a military observation post near the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 5.
The investigation backed an earlier army account that soldiers opened fire because they suspected she was planting a bomb. The girl's family said she was on her way to school when she was shot.
Soldiers from the unit later told Israeli media that the commander approached the girl after she was shot and possibly killed, and then shot her with automatic fire as they pleaded with him to stop.
Announcing the results of a preliminary investigation, the army's southern commander, Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, said he found no "unethical" behavior by the commander or his soldiers in the shooting.
The conclusion referred to soldiers' accusations that the commander had emptied his rifle into the girl's body after she was dead, an outlawed practice known as "verifying the kill." A separate military police investigation is continuing.
However, the statement said the officer would remain suspended for poor leadership abilities and poor relations with his subordinates. A final decision on his fate will be made next week.
Israeli soldiers have become increasingly wary of Palestinian teenagers and women after several committed suicide bombings or transported explosives.
Hundreds of Palestinian children and teens have been killed by army fire in the past four years, often in clashes between stone throwers and Israeli troops. The army rarely launches investigations into the incidents.
The officer, whose name was not released, was accused by some of his soldiers of emptying an ammunition clip into the girl, Iyman Hams, after troops shot her when she entered an unauthorized zone near the army post close to Rafah.
The officer denied the accusations against him, claiming some of his soldiers made up the story because they were angry at him, a new officer, for taking away some of their privileges.
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation had exonerated the officer of repeatedly shooting the girl.
The official said the investigation found the officer approached the girl's body after she was hit by a volley of bullets fired from an army observation post.
As the officer approached the body, he came under fire from Palestinian gunmen at least 300 yards away, then shot at the ground to deter the fire, the official said. A soldier in an observation tower believed the shots were aimed at the girl's body, the official said.
The official could not explain why the officer shot into the ground rather than at the source of the fire.
Palestinian hospital officials said the girl was shot at least 15 times, mostly in the upper body.