An Israeli soldier who admitted that he deliberately shot a Palestinian who was simply observing a peaceful protest has been released from custody.
The incident took place two months ago in Bil’in, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, when the soldier fired and moderately injured a resident during a protest against the separation wall.
The soldier originally claimed that the resident endangered his life by hurling stones at him, and that he had to shoot him, but other soldiers in the same unit testified that their colleague was not under any kind of danger, and that it was not necessary to open fire.
Under interrogation by a team from the Israeli Ministry of Justice, the soldier who opened fire admitted later that the resident he shot had not thrown stones, and that his life and the lives of the other soldiers were not endangered in any way.
The soldier also admitted that the resident was only observing the events and did not even participate in the protest.
Yet, the soldier was released under the condition only that he remain on his military base for two months!
