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Mohammed Issa Mahrazeh, the taxi driver injured during the Dahariya rampage. (B'Tselem)
Last update - 03:48 03/02/2008
IDF commander gets 15 months in prison for W. Bank rampage
By Yuval Azoulay
Tags: Israel, war crimes 

The officer in charge of an army unit that shot a Palestinian without justification last July was sentenced last week to 15 months in prison and a demotion.

Lieutenant Ya'akov Gigi's sentence was the result of an agreement between his attorneys and the Military Advocate General (MAG). However, it is not yet clear whether he will be demoted to sergeant, as his attorneys requested, or to private, as MAG wanted.

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AG has not yet presented any charges against First Sergeant Dror, who actually pulled the trigger, despite promising that it would do so. Dror claims that the way the Palestinian looked at him was enough to classify him as a "suspect" and to justify opening fire.

Gigi and five of his soldiers hijacked a Palestinian taxi last July in the West Bank village of Dahariya, near Hebron. They then shot an innocent passerby and left him there, even though he was severely wounded in the neck.

The soldiers also lied in the initial investigation of the incident, as Israel Defense Forces sources reported at the time. They claimed that one of the platoon's soldiers had sprained his ankle during a morning patrol of the village and was no longer able to walk, so the officer decided to commandeer a Palestinian taxi. Then, they said, after they had tied up the driver and taken control of the vehicle, another Palestinian approached the car, and the soldiers decided that he was acting "suspiciously." One of them therefore fired shots at him, wounding him in the neck.

However, IDF sources said the investigation revealed that none of the soldiers, who belong to the Lavi Battalion of the Kfir Infantry Brigade, had sprained an ankle. Instead, the platoon had decided of its own accord to carry out an undercover operation, without coordinating the operation with their superiors.

'Stupidity plus overmotivation'

They allegedly removed their uniforms, donned civilian clothing and then commandeered the taxi. One of the senior officers conducting the inquiry referred to the soldiers' actions as "stupidity stemming from over-motivation."

They did not stop to treat the wounded Palestinian, who was reportedly severely hurt, but rather left him behind bleeding. The soldiers also failed to report the incident. The affair came to light only after the media reported about the wounded man.

Dror, describing the incident in his testimony last month, said: "He looked at me. All the others looked suspicious and he was more suspicious ... I thought he was a threat to my life, because I was under such pressure.

"When your life is in danger, you shoot to defend yourself. That's what they teach you in the army. That's what I was brought up on," he said, adding that every commander he served under had told him that.

Asked to give the names of the officers who had told him so, Dror replied: "I've passed through almost eight officers and I can't say who exactly taught me that."

He testified that he was a professional soldier and an experienced sniper who took part in many operations. He said he had never shot at anyone prior to this incident, but had fired at a fuel container and an empty gas container.

He said that when he first reported that the Palestinian looked suspicious, the officer instructed him to "keep him away."

Then, the Palestinian made a movement with his arm that looked as if he were drawing a gun, so Dror fired at him from inside the slow-moving taxi. "I was in panic afterward. I was in shock. I was half in shock," he said.

He said that Gigi rebuked him after the shot. "What have you done? You shot him," Gigi said.

Dror has since completed his military service and is now studying at a yeshiva in Jerusalem.


Related articles:
  • IDF probe finds gross misconduct by troops in Dahariya rampage
  • Dahariya officer's lawyers: Probe into West Bank op was flawed
  • Court convicts IDF officer who led troops in W. Bank rampage
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      1.   There`s another terrorist Israel has created... 04:01  |  Silvienne 03/02/08
      2.   only 15 months? 04:53  |  Jessica 03/02/08
      3.   Why Does Israelis GetLess Time.... 05:34  |  Abe 03/02/08
      4.   Truely a Jewish state 06:21  |  Refugee 03/02/08
      5.   Typical Israeli Machismo 06:41  |  Natallie Durson 03/02/08
      6.   "PALESTINE" IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY 07:06  |  20x20 03/02/08
      7.   "Didn`t like the way he looked at him..." 07:55  |  Maureen Ann 03/02/08
      8.   15days more likely 08:13  |  JW 03/02/08
      9.   rampage vs.terrorism..anyone ?? 08:18  |  Igor 03/02/08
      10.   #5, Durson 09:04  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/02/08
      11.   Life-long harm inflicted on the innocent 09:05  |  Esther 03/02/08
      12.   disgrace 09:18  |  Leon 03/02/08
      13.   Then Israeli`s wonder why the world hate them !! 09:27  |  Free Palestine 03/02/08
      14.   Palestinian stone throwers apparently deserve to be killed.... 09:33  |  Palestinian Brit 03/02/08
      15.   IDF commander gets 15 months in prison 10:11  |  Gerald Zang 03/02/08
      16.   Clealry shows Isreals moral high ground 10:14  |  Adrian de Klerk 03/02/08
      17.   purge them! 10:19  |  Moshe 03/02/08
      18.   Israelis, you are a disgrace to the free world. 10:43  |  Andreas 03/02/08
      19.   a Palestinian looking at soldiers, justifies killing ... 10:43  |  Sarah 03/02/08
      20.   #15, Gerald Zang 10:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/02/08
      21.   Suggestion fro Durson 11:03  |  rondi 03/02/08
      22.   WHAT A RACIST STATE 11:15  |  indrajaya 03/02/08
      23.   #17, moshe, there is no purge 11:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/02/08
      24.   To the usual suspects 11:27  |  Ofer Maimon 03/02/08
      25.   Law and Order 11:40  |  Joe 03/02/08
      26.   To Gerald Zang 11:46  |  Mr. Knowtiall 03/02/08
      27.   A dirth look becomes a killing offense 11:54  |  Natallie Durson 03/02/08
      28.   i wonder how many months it`ll actually be? 12:14  |  eric 03/02/08
      29.   happy end 12:31  |  disgusted 03/02/08
      30.   Dear Indrajaya, please read this 12:32  |  Joe Sittizen 03/02/08
      31.   and the trigger man walks? 12:33  |  eric 03/02/08
      32.   Dear Pal Brit neighbor 12:35  |  Joe Sittizen 03/02/08
      33.   IIndrajaya - let`s look at Indonesia 12:52  |  Joe Sittizen 03/02/08
      34.   # Natalie Durston 13:00  |  K 03/02/08
      35.   Congratulations to Israel for trying army officers 13:13  |  David Plane 03/02/08
      36.   Natallie Durson a misogynist? 13:15  |  Joe Sittizen 03/02/08
      37.   To # 5 - Nathalie Durson 13:21  |  Lola 03/02/08
      38.   In Israel, a human life is expensive, except for arabs. 13:29  |  Aounist 03/02/08
      39.   Re Gerald Zang #15 13:34  |  Esther 03/02/08
      40.   justice still counts 13:39  |  roberta 03/02/08
      41.   i wonder how many months it`ll actually be? (2nd try) 14:01  |  eric 03/02/08
      42.   Lack of Reciprocity 14:14  |  Shlomo 03/02/08
      43.   Misguided soldiers, lax leadership 14:35  |  The Northern Wind 03/02/08
      44.   info on the campaign to indict alleged war criminals 14:59  |  Yesh Gvul 03/02/08
      45.   He goes on serving it seems: discharge him 15:00  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/02/08
      46.   Israel prosecutes soldiers,unlike Palestinians 15:40  |  David 03/02/08
      47.   What if it had been a Palestinian? 15:56  |  MB 03/02/08
      48.   I don`t think that legally this was a "murder" 16:11  |  Andy Levy-Stevenson 03/02/08
      49.   Oh nice!!!!! 16:33  |  Danite 03/02/08
      50.   40: So, Roberta. When have Pals practiced it? 16:36  |  David Teich 03/02/08
      51.   you should look at people with lovig eyes 16:38  |  observer 03/02/08
      52.   The army of occupation that can`t fight Hizballah 16:57  |  Tosefta 03/02/08
      53.   #16 Adrian de Klerk 17:21  |  Boycott 03/02/08
      54.   30. dear sittizen. both the serb and croat 17:21  |  bozhidar balkas 03/02/08
      55.   Tohar HaNeshek 17:33  |  Morton Rosenthal 03/02/08
      56.   # 16 Adrian, I totally agree with you!!!!! 17:42  |  Petra 03/02/08
      57.   # 36 Joe Sittizen LOVED IT!!!! SUBERB!!!!! 17:52  |  Petra 03/02/08
      58.   # 53 Boycott, Is that the first time or are there others? 17:54  |  Petra 03/02/08
      59.   20x20 is a deluded cretin 18:17  |  Marilyn 03/02/08
      60.   If looks could kill ? 18:37  |  Baz Mann 03/02/08
      61.   David - Honest prosecution 19:02  |  Stephen Connor 03/02/08
      62.   #5; Natalie Durson yes will all run out and read E.Said bias book 19:43  |  Doc Holliday 03/02/08
      63.   #15 Gerals Sang - wrong but hush it up??? 20:27  |  Rick 03/02/08
      64.   #16 Adrian - you gotta be kidding 20:40  |  Rick 03/02/08
      65.   Doc Holliday be real 20:48  |  Stephen Connor 03/02/08
      66.   Now what about you guys? 21:04  |  Iz Ray Leigh 03/02/08
      67.   Tosefta you say you are Israeli 21:05  |  Iz Ray Leigh 03/02/08
      68.   Natallie Durson the misogynist - where are you? 21:19  |  Joe Sittizen 03/02/08
      69.   #62 doc halliday wants us to read Dershowitz 21:42  |  Labhras 03/02/08
      70.   #10 kone re Natallie Durson 21:48  |  Labhras 03/02/08