IDF soldier convicted of killing U.K. activist in Gaza released from jail
Taysir Hayb found guilty of manslaughter over the April 2003 shooting of Thomas Hurndall during an International Solidarity Movement protest in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
By Haaretz ServiceAn Israel Defense Forces soldier found guilty of manslaughter in the 2003 death of a British peace activist was released Wednesday, after serving three quarters of his sentence.
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Sgt. Taysir Hayb |
| Photo by: David Bachar |
Sgt. Taysir Hayb's early release was secured last month, after a military committee overruled the Military Advocate General's opinion and ordered the soldier's release. He has served six years of the eight-year sentence he received in 2005.
Thomas Hurndall, then 22, was shot in April 2003 while photographing an International Solidarity Movement protest in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where Hayb was stationed in a watchtower as part of the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion. Hurndall died the following year after a nine-month coma.
A military court found Hayb, now 27, had violated orders in shooting the activist. In addition to manslaughter, he was convicted of obstruction of justice and false testimony.
Military Advocate General Avichai Mendelblit opposed Hayb's early release, citing the potential damage such a move could cause to Israel's relations with Great Britain.
Nonetheless, a Southern Command military tribunal headed by Col. Erez Porat decided to release Hayb after all three panel members ruled that he had been sufficiently rehabilitated. The same committee had rejected several prior requests for Hayb's early release.
"We welcome the ruling and are pleased that the committee viewed Hayb's rehabilitation as the decisive factor, rather than military or diplomatic considerations, which are irrelevant to this case," the soldier's attorney said.
In a statement released last month, the British Foreign Office said: "We note the court's decision today to release Taysir Hayb and recognize the grief this decision will cause to the Hurndall family. We have the deepest of sympathies for the Hurndall family. Tom's death was a tragedy."
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For the victims of Luckerbie, Libya was accused and punished. A crippling ban on travel was imposed and took place for several years causing hadships and many deaths of innocent Arab and Muslim Libyans. Of course as usual Arab and African regimes, all of them undemocratic and virtual agents of the west , did the dirty work for their masters. Libya's dictator Gaddafi was brought to his knees, paid huge compensation and toed the line. Gaddafi's job now is to protect Europe from poor immigrants coming from Africa seeking better life in Europe. As a dictatorship, Libya can do a marvelous job persecuting and stopping those young Africans at any cost. Italy is garteful to Libya and EU closes its eyes for human rights abuses committed by the gaddafi's ruthless regime. Israel's atrocity and human right abuses against Palestinians, Arabs, and international activists are ignored by htpocrite world powers and institutions. Israel is alawys right and beyond questioning. What a pity!
The soldier's grave error was to shoot a British citizen, which caused pressure on Israel to prosecute the murderer. With an Arab victim no one would have given a d***
that the soldier in question was Arab himself. Had he not been Arab, he probably would not even be tried. If the soldier was not Arab, there would now be a large defamation campaign, painting the Hundall family as antisemitic.
Both so young. They might have had a drink together or kicked a ball around between the two of them, given different circumstances. Terribly sad.
The fog of war is a risk a journalist should sustain, i am not completely familiar with the circumstances, adn I hope that Taysi Hayb even though an Israeli and a proud muslim, the fact that he his an Arab Israli soldier is not held against him, it is clear that Arab are part of the IDF and he may got confused in the order... he seems to be rehabilitated to me and the Journalist should have taken another job!
'...I hope that ...the fact that he his an Arab Israli soldier is not held against him...' Why do you think he was convicted at all?
In most EU countries... any convict who served 1/2 or 2/3 of the time he was sentenced to is freed and placed under probation... Why aren't anyone not bashing Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Spain, France and the UK in here? ...the same practise is standard in these countries He served his time, and would in any of these countries been released
these rules are applied consistently. If the soldier had shot an Israeli settler, he would be in prison for life. If he was a Palestinian from Fatah and shot a settler, he would probably have been killed in retaliation by now. The problem is racism, pure and simple.
Years he suffered in detention is a disgrace! Knee-jerk regime must compensate & reward this good man!
....letting this lying murderer out of jail early. Six years imprisionment in exchange for Tom Hurndall's life. The killer is young and has all his life ahead of him. Lucky him; but he'll always be a convicted murderer.
Oh, by the way, what happenned to the arch-murderer of innocent passenger of the Lockerbie plane who was released by Great Britain and sent back to Lybia, on the excuse that he had only six months to live? And who has been alive for one year already... Maybe Great Britain cares about the family of the victims too? Or maybe that wasn't such a tragedy?
...to the three Palestinians suspected of killing a rabbi earlier this year? They were arrested "with extreme prejudice" if my recollection is accurate.
These young soldiers protect all of us even for their lives.Then they are thrown to jail for this.Not understandable.
And unarmed peace activist leading Palestinian children across a street?
In every single country of the world it is rare to imprison one's own soldiers for killing, regardless of the circumstances. At least in some countries there is occasional accountability for soldiers if there is sufficient publicity. Mr Hayb is one of millions of young men who got carried away with the intoxication of modern firepower and today he is probably much wiser than most people think.
alive a Danish turist girl on Cyprus were released from jail following British FO pressure on Cyprus. They returned to GB and are walking free ,also among Israel-bashers .
are you still surprised?
Hopefully God sees fit to punish him later.
a foreign 'activist', which deliberately put themselves above any local or international law and arrogantly think that they know the Absolute Truth and own the Absolute Morality. This Bedouin soldier fulfilled his duty to the fuller extent than the bigots from MAG do.
Just another 'glorious' day in the golden calf of nations.....
Britain is a meek lapdog internaionally, and will always do whatever the USA/Israel wants, hence the lame, watery statement - "Tom's death was a tragedy". No, it wasn't a tragic event, it was murder directly resulting from the international community's weakness about confronting Israel's actions in the occupied territories.
what should she have been charged with? perhaps the same thing the wives of the 1947 and 1948 Jewish terror gang members were charged with.
Today, in Israel, a man who deliberately killed a pro-peace activists has walked free. Day of shame.
Who allowed the wife of one of the British terrorists who blew themselves up in Israel to walk free, even though the evidence showed she knew about the planned attack.
give me British justice any day!
Bit short on history---eh old chap. Two murdered Sgts whose bodies were booby trapped by Jewish terrorists. Yup--there was/is such a term as Jewish terrorism. Google it and learn something.
let by Brits in peace because they "only targetted the Zionists"
Did the wife committed a crime? Or do you think like the IDF-Gaza tactics? Distroy a village when only one Palestian did something?
Maybe you should read the full story you have to read the book not just its cover.The Irgun always warned before acting and they always gave an option which was rarely heeded.Dov Grunner did not die in Vain.Maybe you forgot to mention the Irgun operative who was pardoned but hanged anyway so much for British justice and no wonder they got the nickname anenomes.Abi Gezunt.
By the way, are you so ignorant of the difference beteen terrorism and resistance? Attacking soldiers is resistance. Deliberately targetting unarmed civilians is terrorism. Therefore, there was no "Jewish terrorists". But Hamas and Hizbollah are indeed terrorists who deliberately targetted civilians.
Repeating a lie does not make it true.
And your statement 'there was (sic) no "Jewish terrorists"' qualifies neatly. Have you ever heard who started bus and market bombings in Palestine? (I'll give you a clue: they weren't Muslims or Christians)
Silence on the Right-Wing front who always scream for Arab blood when a harmless rocket enters their horizon, even though there letting murderers out of jail early.
We need people to defend our pregnant women that your "heros" target and kill. Did you protest the last week killing in the WB,btw?
One doesn't need to be part of some "Right-Wing front" to agree with the Israeli side; having common sense will usually do just fine.
it clearly states manslaughter. doh! 44 others can't read either.
Let's see how long you would stand "harmless rockets" by going to live in Sderot!
should never have been imprisoned anyhow.
I fear for children in Israel when I hear this murderer has walked free. I pray they won't meet him.
...hes a Bedouin! Eek! A brown person! You don't love brown people do you?! And just for the record in the civilised world someone who kills an innocent person is called a "killer" - just so you know, because I know that concept is a bit alien to Israel.
Of course not, it shows the IDF are trained to kill unarmed people. They like that. Please never send your army to Europe, lets keep Europe save.
Otherwise they have to imprison all the IDF’s. After all, all he did is kill/.
...what a joke!
The man was convicted of manslaughter and served 6 out of his 8 year sentence. Would you have made the same remark if he had been released in 2 years time at the end of his sentence? If not, how long a sentence would you have given him?
As far as I remember Lockerbie bomber was also released earlier and he had blood of 270 people on his hands. At the same time nobody was ever brought to justice for shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on London’s subway.
that is how israeli way of democracy and justice work!
But did you notice the soldier in question was NOT a Jew? Next time, read the article before you comment it with your prejudices!