Roundup: Israel divided over soldier shooting incapacitated Palestinian attacker

The case of an Israeli soldier firing a bullet into the head of a wounded, motionless Palestinian assailant has sparked a political and public storm in Israel, with many hailing him as a new national hero.

After six months of violent Palestinian unrest, including stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks, the incident triggered an unprecedented debate about military ethics and the extent of force that soldiers should use to protect the Israeli society.

The March 24 shooting took place in a settlers' enclave near Hebron, a flashpoint city in the West Bank and also a focal point of the recent uprising. The military initially said that two Palestinian youths stabbed and lightly wounded a soldier before other troops at the scene shot and killed the pair.

In a video footage released by the Israeli human rights watchdog B'Tselem, Abd al-Fatah a-Sharif, 21, is seen lying on the ground, subdued and surrounded by soldiers. A soldier then aimed his rifle at al-Sharif and shot a single bullet to his head.

The video quickly spread online, with human rights groups saying the shooting was a summary execution.

The military issued a new statement condemning the shooting as a "grave breach of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) values." It opened an investigation against the 19-year-old soldier, whose name was kept secret under a gag order issued by the court at the request of his family.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially condemned the soldier. "The IDF expects its soldiers to behave level-headedly and by the rules of engagement," he said in a statement.

But a few days later he softened his tone, holding an empathic phone call with the soldier's father and saying the soldier operated under "difficult conditions" that should be taken into consideration.

Naftali Bennett, the leader of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Home faction in Netanyahu's coalition, accused Netanyahu of not supporting the soldier.

"Have we lost our minds? We are at war, a war against vicious terrorism," Bennett said in a post on his Facebook account. "Why, for God's sake, did politicians and the media jump to conclusions so quickly?"

Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the right-wing opposition faction of Yisrael Beitenu, said that "a soldier who kills a terrorist obviously should not be charged with murder and also does not need to be charged with manslaughter."

This sentiment was echoed in a poll published last Thursday by Channel 2 TV news. Some 57 percent of the Israelis think the soldier should not be indicted at all, and 47 percent believe his conduct was "responsible." Only five percent of the Israeli public considers the killing a murder.

Local media revealed that the soldier had previously published anti-Arab posts on his Facebook account, sympathizing with late Rabbi Meir Kahana and his extreme and ultra-nationalist Kach movement which were banned from the parliament for racism in 1988 and outlawed in 1994.

Meanwhile, IDF chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot said the soldier must be brought to justice, warning soldiers should adhere to the formal rules of engagement. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon echoed that comment, saying the case will be dealt with "utmost severity."

"EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS"

The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, was outraged at the killing.

"The images shown carry all the signs of a clear case of an extrajudicial execution," the human rights expert said in a statement. "There does not appear to be any provocation on the side of the gravely wounded man."

A group of 11 senators called on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to carry a probe into the killings of Palestinians. The U.S. lawmakers criticized Israel's alleged abuse of human rights amid what they said appear to be "extrajudicial killings" of Palestinians.

Rights groups have increasingly accused Israel of using excessive force against the Palestinians. Since mid-September 2015, at least 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel said most of them were killed amidst attacks or attempted attacks. Many of them were youths who, according to eyewitnesses and video footages, were killed after no longer posing a threat. The violence has also claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and two U.S. nationals.

Israel was also accused of using indiscriminate fire against the Palestinians during its 51-day military campaign in the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014, which claimed the lives of 2,251 people, at least 65 percent being civilians, according to the United Nations.

SOLDIER REMANDED

On Thursday, a military court in Tel Aviv extended the detention of the soldier by eight days, saying he will remain detained at a military base where he has been held since last week.

On Tuesday, the prosecution told the court that an autopsy of the Palestinian body showed the lethal bullet was the last one fired by the soldier.

Initially, the prosecutors said he was investigated for murder but last Thursday they changed that to manslaughter. However, an indictment has yet to be served. Endit