Israeli military court clears soldier of killing Palestinian

An Israeli soldier was acquitted yesterday of killing Palestinian Uday Darwish near Hebron, West Bank, two years ago.

On 12 January 2013 Darwish, 21, walked through a gap in the Separation Wall on his way to work in the city of Rahat in the Negev.

Israeli soldiers called for him to stop, one fired four shots into the air while another hit Darwish in the knee. Darwish lost a lot of blood before he was transferred to hospital in Be’er Sheva where he was pronounced dead.

The military prosecutor had indicted the soldier for death, however they backed away from the accusation as part of a deal, instead the soldier was convicted of causing death by negligence and he was sentenced to seven months in a military prison.

However, a military court acquitted him of the charge.