Israeli Press
Israel investigates soldier who shot Palestinian near Jenin
Graphic: Times of Palestine
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The Israeli army is investigating whether a soldier "deviated from open-fire procedures" when he shot a Palestinian near the village of Faqqua, east of Jenin, over the weekend, the Israeli news site Ynet reported Sunday, citing a security source.
What the source told Ynet#
The source said the Palestinian was shot "without apparent reason" and that the case is under review to establish whether the soldier exceeded the army's open-fire regulations. An initial inquiry found the friction began when several Palestinians gathered around a shepherd in the area, according to Ynet.
Ynet reported the army's own account separately: a settler working an olive grove on a farm near Gilboa said dozens of Palestinians from Faqqua had attacked the shepherd, and that three soldiers stationed nearby responded by firing first into the air, then toward the approaching group, hitting the lower body of one man.
The wounded Palestinian was treated by the Palestine Red Crescent Society and taken to hospital. Ynet did not report his name, age or condition.
Why an internal army review matters#
That the army itself opened a review, and that Ynet reported it as a live open question rather than a closed matter, is notable in the Israeli press's own terms. Soldiers' use of live fire against Palestinians in the West Bank rarely draws public scrutiny from military authorities.
The outcome of the inquiry, and any findings on whether procedures were followed, were not yet known at the time of Ynet's report.
