An Israeli Court in Lod acquitted Tuesday an Israeli soldier who shot and killed a Palestinian child during a nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall in Ni’lin village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, in July 2008.The soldier admitted to firing two rounds of live ammunition at the child, 10-year-old Ahmad Mousa, leading to his death.
During his court testimony, the soldier said that “not firing back at those who hurl stones at the army is considered weakness; therefore, I opened fire”.
The Judge claimed that “it was not proven that the bullets fired by the soldier led to the death of the child”, despite the fact that she acknowledged that the soldier opened fire using live ammunition while his life was not in danger.
The soldier, identified as Omri Abu, stated that he was in a bulletproof vehicle, but added that “these vehicles protect you to a certain level, and sometimes become useless when the hood is damaged, and the windshield is broken”.
According to Israeli daily, Haaretz, as the unit arrived at the scene, Palestinian youths started hurling stones at the armored jeep, and Abu immediately opened the jeep’s door and fired two rounds of live ammunition, hitting the child in the forehead causing instant death.
