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   Israeli Soldier Charged with Manslaughter for Killing Wounded Palestinian

   by VOA News

   The Israeli military charged a soldier with manslaughter Monday for
   shooting a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground last
   month in the West Bank.

   The 19-year-old soldier, whose identity remains secret under a gag
   order, was initially held on a murder warrant.  The lighter
   manslaughter charge, reflecting the view that the killing was not
   premeditated, could still result in 20 years in prison.

   "The accused violated the rules of engagement without operational
   justification as the terrorist was lying on the ground wounded and
   represented no immediate threat for the accused or others who were
   present," a copy of the indictment said. "By his acts, the accused
   unlawfully caused the death of the terrorist Abdul Sharif."

   ''''Defense lawyers say the soldier acted in fear that the Palestinian
   assailant was carrying a bomb; however, prosecutors determined that the
   assailant was posing no threat when he was killed.

   "The terrorist...was left lying on the ground, still alive, and did not
   present any immediate and tangible danger to the civilians and soldiers
   around him," the manslaughter indictment said.

   The incident took place March 24 in Hebron, a city in the occupied West
   Bank that has been at the center of six months of Palestinian street
   violence.

   The case has sparked controversy throughout the region with polls
   showing 57 percent of Israelis believe the soldier should never have
   been arrested.  An online petition has been signed by nearly 60,000
   people demanding that he be decorated for heroism.

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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/israeli-soldier-charged-with-manslaug
   hter-for-killing-wounded-palestinian/3290313.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/israeli-soldier-charged-with-manslaughter-for-killing-wounded-palestinian/3290313.html