The Palestinian peace activist, Ashref Abu Rahmeh, and several Israeli human rights organizations yesterday submitted a petition to Israeli High Court of Justice demanding a harsher indictment be presented against an Israeli army’s commander and soldier who were involved in shooting unarmed and bound Abu Rahmeh in the West Bank village of Nilin in early July.
The petition was filed by B’Tselem, Yesh Din, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and Abu-Rahmeh.
The petitioners demand the court order military advocate general, Brig. Gen. Avi Mandelblit and the Israeli forces’ chief prosecutor Col. Liron Lieberman to amend the indictment so it may “reflect the severity of the actions.”
The petition also demands that two other servicemen, Lt. Col. Omri Burberg and another staff sergeant, be tried for aggravated assault of a bound prisoner — an offense which is punishable by up to seven years in jail.
Mandelblit’s indictment, said the petition, was tainted by extreme improbability, especially when considering other abuse complaints filed against Burberg by residents of Nilin, to the west of Ramallah.
The petition went on to claim that Burberg — who commands the Armor Corps Regiment 71, which is in charge of the Nilin area, has created an atmosphere in which abusing Palestinian detainees became the norm.
“The military advocate general’s choice in filing such a soft indictment indicates the Israeli forces’ feeble response to this incident ... it sends a message to the officers and soldiers that disregarding human lives is acceptable and sets the stage for the next incident.
“It is hard not to think that we are witnessing a systematic eclipse which has plagued not only among Israeli officers in the field, but also among those tasked with carrying out justice in the military,” concluded the petition.
Front Page Features