British peace activist shot by Israeli soldier dies

[Gimel]

A British peace activist who was shot by an Israeli soldier as he tried to protect Palestinian children from gunfire in a Gaza refugee camp died last night in a London hospital.
Tom Hurndall succumbed to pneumonia. He had been left in a persistent vegetative state after being hit by a bullet at the Rafah camp in April.

The 22-year-old died hours after the soldier who shot him was charged with aggravated assault in a rare prosecution of a member of the Israeli military for harming a civilian.

But the military judge handling the case told the family's lawyer in Tel Aviv that the charge was likely to be revised to murder or manslaughter after Mr Hurndall's death.

Continued here...

The bereaved family claims Israel highlighted the soldiers personal life, which is news to me. The identity of the soldier wasn't even revealed until two minths ago. I think they are lashing out at Israel and the IDF when it is in fact an individual matter. Soldiers are, after all human beings.

[dfong63]

1. according to the article,

The bereaved family claims Israel highlighted the soldiers personal life, which is news to me.

this is explained in the article:
``...
"But I am extremely sceptical at the way the Israeli army has chosen to highlight certain facts about this particular soldier - that he had previously been arrested for smoking cannabis and is an Arab.

"This is a complete irrelevance and a deflection from the culture of impunity that is encouraged right along the chain of command right to the very top."
...''

I think they are lashing out at Israel and the IDF when it is in fact an individual matter.

it's not an "individual matter" when it happens repeatedly and the chain of command does nothing. as stated in the article,
``...
It is rare for Israeli soldiers to face criminal charges for shooting civilians in the occupied territories, even though many of the hundreds who have died during the intifada were killed in suspicious circumstances. Just 10 soldiers have been indicted and none convicted to date.
...''

The identity of the soldier wasn't even revealed until two minths ago.

according to the article, the soldier still has not been named.

[Gimel]

3. Your response

I read the article. I don't agree that the family knows how the IDF is run. I don't think that the explanation explains anything. A soldier is not a programmed machine, but a human individual often under personal, social and military duress.

Of course it is not usual for a soldier to be indicted for murder. No army is run in such a way as to charge soldiers on every occasion. Your idea of what is "suspicious" or what the media calls "suspicious" is not the issue at all. Ten incitements is quite a large number for this. How many Hams murderers have been indicted by the PA?

The identity has been revealed, although not the name. Previously we did not know that he was an Arab Bedouin. This is the first that I've read about a marijuana conviction. Would the name give you any more personal information? Identity as to the unit he belonged to is what was mentioned in the previous article posted.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Al-Jazeera: Shot British peace activist dies

Shot British peace activist dies
Wednesday 14 January 2004, 10:20 Makka Time, 7:20 GMT

A British peace volunteer who was shot by Israeli occupation forces has died in a London hospital.

Tom Hurndall, who was hit in the head and critically wounded by sniper fire in the Rafah refugee camp on 11 April, had spent nine months in a vegetative state.

Hurndall, 22, was a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group of pro-Palestinian activists who engage in non-violent action to protect civilians in the West Bank and Gaza.

His family have called for a vigil outside the British prime minister's residence in London on Wednesday to mark his death.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DD065357-0D95-453D-AB20-EE59F62738DE.htm

[Resistance]

4. dupe

original post here