Israeli soldiers charged in Palestinian home bombing — RT World News
Prosecutors took the rare step against two Druze servicemen, who are ethnic Arabs but not Muslims
Two Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have been charged over an incident in Jenin, when they allegedly threw a pipe bomb at a Palestinian home and set it on fire. Prosecutors say Druze soldiers acted in « revenge » for the removal of the body of a victim of a car accident from an area hospital.
Military prosecutors announced the charges Thursday evening. They include making an explosive device, aggravated intentional assault, intentional damage to property with a racial motive and obstructing an investigation. The two soldiers have been in custody since November 28.
Another soldier is expected to be charged in the coming days for helping build the bomb. The two main suspects are from the Druze community, while the accomplice is Jewish, according to the Kan public broadcaster, but their names have not been released for confidentiality reasons.
The three soldiers were part of a tank unit stationed near Bethlehem when riots broke out in Jenin following the bizarre kidnapping of a Druze boy from a Jenin hospital. Tiran Fero, 17, was seriously injured in a car accident on November 22. His family claimed that Fero was still alive when Palestinian militants abducted him and disconnected him from the life support system. Israeli military and security sources said Fero was already dead when his body was removed.
Thousands of Druze – who are ethnic Arabs but not Muslims – gathered to block a highway in protest. Fero’s remains were returned to Israeli hands after approximately 30 hours.
The two soldiers first threw stones at a « Seemingly Random » house in a village near Jenin, then returned late on November 27 to set it on fire with a makeshift bomb. Although no one was injured, the house was damaged by the fire – and as people were inside, aggravated assault was added to the list of charges.
Indictments of IDF soldiers for actions in the Palestinian territories are rare. According to human rights group Yesh Din, less than 1% of the 1,260 complaints filed over the past five years have resulted in charges.
More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces in 2022. The government in Jerusalem insists most of them were militants and points out that 29 Israelis died in a series of knife attacks, bombs and gunshots over the past year.
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