Israeli soldier detained after shooting wounded Palestinian

HEBRON , West Bank, March 25 (UPI) -- An Israeli soldier was detained for shooting a wounded Palestinian man who was lying in the street in Hebron, West Bank, incapacitated.

The shooting of the wounded and possibly already deceased Palestinian man was condemned by the Israeli Defense Forces as "a grave breach" of IDF values.

The Palestinian was one of two men who stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier and were in turn shot, a common occurrence in the West Bank that prompted a routine announcement from the IDF: "Forces responded to the attack and shot the assailants, resulting in their deaths."

But while one of the attackers was taken from the scene in an ambulance, the other, identified as Abed al-Fatah al-Sharif, lay immobile in the street as calm returned to the area. That's when another Israeli soldier stepped forward and shot him a second time, in the head, while other soldiers and an ambulance crew stood by. The soldier was brought to Jaffa, Israel, on Friday for a hearing.

"The IDF views this incident as a grave breach of I.D.F. values, conduct and standards of military operations," Army spokesman Col. Peter Lerner said. "A military police investigation has commenced and the soldier involved has been detained."

A preliminary investigation was conducted after a complaint by a senior army leader, prior to the dissemination of a video of the incident by the human rights organization B'tselem. Several soldiers, including some commanding officers, testified.

It remains unclear if al-Sharif was dead before the shot to the head while he lay in the street. If he was, it could explain why no effort was made to put him in an ambulance. The incident was the latest that seems to reinforce Palestinian statements that Israel is employing disproportionate force in reaction to a wave of recent assaults against Israelis in the West Bank and in Israel. Sarit Michaeli of B'tselem said there are suspicions that excessive force was involved in the deaths of at least 12 Palestinians in recent weeks.

"Today, we have the proof, the actual video of the soldier shooting the Palestinian youth in the head after he was shot and wounded and laying on the ground," said Hisham Sharabati of Al Haq, a Palestinian human-rights advocacy organization. "Now we will wait and see if the Israeli soldier will be prosecuted for his actions."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement said, "The IDF expects its soldiers to behave with composure and in accordance with the rules of engagement," adding the shooting does not "represent the values of the IDF."

IDF spokesman Moti Almoz said the unidentified soldier who allegedly shot al-Sharif has been suspended and detained, but will be treated as innocent until the investigation is complete.