Israel defends troops as locals refute Palestinian teen's death
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel on Thursday defended the actions of its
soldiers who shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian woman at a checkpoint
in the occupied West Bank, after eyewitnesses refuted the events that
led to the killing.
Hadeel al-Hashlamon was shot by Israeliforces on Tuesday at a checkpoint in the flashpoint city of Hebron. The
military said she was attempting to stab a soldier when they opened
fire.Meanwhile, activists captured photos purporting to
show the teen with no knife visible at the checkpoint. The pictures
however do not capture the moment of the shooting and no firm conclusion
can be drawn from them.A key eyewitness to the incident,
Fawaz Abu Aisha, who can be seen in pictures published by the activist
group, said that he was passing the checkpoint Tuesday morning when he
saw Israeli forces telling Hadeel in Hebrew to get away from the area. Abu
Aisha explained to the teen, who did not understand Hebrew, what the
Israeli soldiers were saying, and she attempted to leave the main
checkpoint area via a movable barrier at the side.Israeli
soldiers then fired three warning shots at Hadeel, asking her in Hebrew
to stop before shooting her once in both legs and four times into her
chest and abdomen, according to Abu Aisha.Another shot was then fired at her body as she lay on the ground, he said.
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Hadeel
al-Hashlamon,18, during her funeral in the occupied West Bank city of
Hebron on Sept. 23, 2015. (AFP/Hazem Bader)
al-Hashlamon,18, during her funeral in the occupied West Bank city of
Hebron on Sept. 23, 2015. (AFP/Hazem Bader)
