Israel sentences killers of Palestinian teen to life, 21 years in prison

Two Israelis who burned to death a Palestinian teen in July 2014 were sentenced Thursday to life and 21 years in prison respectively, said the Jerusalem District court.

A third defendant, considered the ringleader, was not sentenced, opting instead for an insanity plea.

One of the ringleader's accomplices, a 16-year-old Israeli, received a life sentence while the second accomplice, also 16, was handed a 21-year sentence.

Discussions were held behind closed doors since the convicts are minors.

In November, the Jerusalem District Court found the trio guilty of murdering Muhamad Abu Khdeir, who was torched alive as "revenge" for a previous murder of three Israeli teens.

After a trial lasting over a year, Yosef Haim Ben-David, a 30-year-old settler, submitted via his attorney a psychiatric evaluation stating he was not responsible for his actions at the time of the murder.

Judges found him guilty of the murder, yet suspended his conviction to within six weeks, to further discuss his new psychiatric report.

However, his final conviction was still not reached by the court.

During investigations, both minors blamed Ben-David for masterminding the murder and pressuring them to join.

On July 2, 2014, they kidnapped 16-year-old Abu Khdeir from beside his home in Shuafat as he headed to the morning prayers at the local mosque.

They took him to the Jerusalem Forest, where they beat him, strangled him, and finally torched him alive.

The gruesome crime shook the country, triggering violent protests in Jerusalem and six other Arab cities throughout Israel.

The sentence Thursday comes amid an almost five-month-long wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel that has resulted in the death of at least 160 Palestinians, 25 Israelis, and a U.S. citizen. Endit