Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., February 05, 2008 Shvat 29, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:15 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Mohammed Issa Mahrazeh, the taxi driver injured during the Dahariya rampage. (B'Tselem) Last update - 17:22 27/01/2008 Court convicts IDF officer who led troops in W. Bank rampage By Yuval Azoulay and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents Tags: West Bank, Israel  An Israel Defense Forces officer who commanded troops implicated in a West Bank rampage that led to the wrongful shooting of a Palestinian civilian last July was convicted on Sunday of a string of serious charges. Deputy Lieutenant Yaakov Gigi was convicted in the framework of a plea bargain of illegal use of a weapon, giving a false confession, overstepping authority in a manner that endangered lives and behavior unsuitable to an army officer. The plea bargain his defense attorney reached with the prosecution dropped charges of wrongful imprisonment and aggravated assault. The prosecution asked the Jaffa military court that tried Gigi to sentence him to 15 months imprisonment, demotion and a suspended sentence. Advertisement The sentence will be handed down at a later date. The incident took place in the West Bank town of Dahariya, located south of Hebron. Gigi and five of his men, belonging to the Lavi Battalion of the Kfir Infantry Brigade, commandeered a local taxi, and forcibly removed its passengers. The driver, Mohammed Issa Mahrazeh, was also removed, tied up, placed back in the cab, blindfolded and was held there for the duration of the operation. He sustained bruises. While driving through the town of Dahariya, the troops took note of a Badham Samamra, an 18-year-old civilian approaching the vehicle. According to the indictment, the officer ordered one of the soldiers to "distance" the Samamra from the car with his weapon, knowing that his gun was loaded and cocked, and that the soldier was not trained in operations such as the one they had improvised. The soldier then pointed his weapon out the window of the taxi and shot Samamra. The bullet hit the left shoulder and exited his body through the chest. He was moderately to seriously wounded by the gunshot. The soldiers then abandoned the vehicle, leaving the driver bound in the back seat. During the ensuing investigation, Gigi submitted a false account of the incident, and military sources say he ordered his soldiers to do the same. Related articles: Army charges IDF officer over wrongful shooting of Palestinian Dahariya officer's lawyers: Probe into West Bank op was flawed IDF to confine soldier who shot innocent Palestinian to his base Bookmark to del.icio.us   Negev attack Dimona suicide bombing kills one woman in first such attack in more than a year. A friend in Dalia Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik is secretly raising Knesset officials' salaries.   1.   Israel convicts its criminals, but Palestinians do not 17:58  |  Gili 27/01/08   2.   Bravo Israel, no cover up of IDF crimes 18:07  |  Mark B. 27/01/08   3.   !3 - A Ridiculous Claim 18:26  |  DoubleClick 27/01/08   4.   Better than nothing but ..... 18:39  |  David 27/01/08   5.   Soldier`s sentance 18:56  |  David Kass 27/01/08   6.   Disgusting - no cover up but apartheid justice 19:10  |  lennybruce 27/01/08   7.   What a Stupid thing to do, 19:56  |  ottomatik 27/01/08   8.   #5 David Kass 20:01  |  george 27/01/08   9.   Punishment to fit the crime 20:55  |  Major J 27/01/08   10.   #8 - George 20:58  |  David Kass 27/01/08   11.   Cheap palestinian lives 22:22  |  pal- 27/01/08   12.   The punishment hardly matches the deed... 22:31  |  Esther 27/01/08   13.   Another reason why we are seeking indictmens abroad 22:45  |  Yesh Gvul 27/01/08   14.   the sentence will be a joke 22:47  |  Leona 27/01/08   15.   re #1 Gili ` Israel convicts its criminals, but Palestinians do n 22:57  |  Colin Wright 27/01/08   16.   Another Jewish soldier framed by "palestinians" 23:40  |  abba 27/01/08   17.   Hoo-rah, Major J 23:48  |  Mark of Lewiston 27/01/08   18.   15 months? 23:50  |  yuval 27/01/08   19.   16 Abba - He Plead Guilty 00:01  |  Mark of Lewiston 28/01/08   20.   Bravo 00:59  |  Clickfool 28/01/08   21.   Very Good,justice is being served 01:16  |  Indrajaya 28/01/08   22.   16 Abba - He Plead Guilty - 2nd try 02:23  |  Mark of Lewiston 28/01/08   23.   9 Hoo-rah Major J 02:27  |  Mark of Lewiston 28/01/08   24.   police killers 03:22  |  Sean 28/01/08   25.   Kangaroo court 04:52  |  Ein Gul LaTipshoot 28/01/08   26.   Paleestinian lives are cheap 05:33  |  Lilly Nussbaum 28/01/08   27.   israeli military justice; and sanctioned criminals 08:27  |  eric 28/01/08   28.   #1 Gili 08:36  |  hala 28/01/08   29.   #24 Lily Nussbaum and cheap lives 08:41  |  hala 28/01/08   30.   Mark of Lewiston - Israel hater 09:08  |  Abba 28/01/08   31.   # 9. Major J. You cannot be serious.. 11:52  |  Stephen. 28/01/08   32.   # 31 stephen, what makes you think your spiel... 12:44  |  eric 28/01/08   33.   # 25 to ein gul latipsnoot 12:59  |  eric 28/01/08   34.   # 32 eric. Did you read and understand my post.? 14:23  |  Stephen. 28/01/08   35.   illegal combatants 17:34  |  Space 28/01/08   36.   Nice Try Abba 21:21  |  Mark of Lewiston 28/01/08   37.   gili 1 22:28  |  realism 28/01/08   38.   # 34 to stephen in spain...(2nd try) 07:35  |  eric 29/01/08   39.   Soldiers Given Impossible Orders Violate Them 11:45  |  Efox 29/01/08   40.   re: Yesh Gvul 11:47  |  Efox 29/01/08   41.   39 Efox - American Soldiers in Iraq 01:42  |  Mark of Lewiston 30/01/08   42.   # 39 your assessment of the palestinian people, efox... 07:59  |  eric 30/01/08   43.   # 41 thank you mark 08:04  |  eric 30/01/08   44.   re: Mark of Lewiston 02:54  |  Efox 05/02/08

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