Israel ‘whitewashes’ investigation into killing of Palestinian teen, rights group says

Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem yesterday described an Israeli decision to close the investigation into the killing of a Palestinian boy by an Israeli soldier last year an “integral part of the whitewash mechanism which is Israel’s military investigative system.”

On 3 July 2015, Israeli Colonel Yisrael Shomer shot 17-year-old Palestinian Mohamed Ali Kosba three times, including once in the head.

The shooting took place after the boy threw a stone at Shomer’s vehicle in the middle of the Palestinian city of Al-Ram, near Jerusalem.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, which unearthed video documentation of the incident, stated that this decision is an “integral part of the whitewash mechanism which is Israel’s military investigative system,” a statement published on its website said.

B’Tselem voiced its criticism after the Israeli Military Advocate General (MAG) announced his decision to close the investigation against Shomer.

“The MAG’s assertion that the firing was legal, since the officer claimed that he aimed at the youth’s legs but missed, clearly indicates the investigative system’s willingness to ignore the law and open-fire regulations, all in the interest of providing impunity to members of the security forces who unlawfully killed Palestinians,” B’Tselem said.

Immediately after the shooting, B’Tselem published a video showing the incident and criticised the Israeli positon on it.

“B’Tselem’s research and security camera video footage revealed that the Binyamin Brigade Commander shot and killed Muhammad ‘Ali-Kosba, 17, while the youth fled after throwing a stone, on the morning of Friday 3 July 2015, in the West Bank town of Al-Ram north of Jerusalem.

“The unlawful killing was immediately condoned by military commanders and government ministers. These statements of support compounded the gravity of the event, as top military and civilian officials conveyed an unlawful message to soldiers on the ground: shooting a Palestinian stone thrower is acceptable, even desirable, even if the person is fleeing and no longer poses a threat.”

The rights group added: “Such statements by top public figures empty the official restrictions on the use of force, and particularly on live fire, of real meaning. They render the open-fire regulations that supposedly govern the use of lethal force in the West Bank utterly superfluous.”

“B’Tselem stated that the automatic public support provided to the shooter, and reassurance that no fault was to be found with his actions voided from the outset the possibility of justice in this case.”

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Shoot and lie: Israeli forces are killing civilians with impunity.