Soldiers charged for killing civilians
2003-04-06 18:31
Jerusalem - The Israeli army has charged two of its soldiers with the killing of two Palestinian civilians in separate incidents last year, including the slaying of a 95-year-old woman, the army said in a statement on Sunday.
The first case was against a soldier who allegedly fired on a suspect taxi near the West Bank town of Ramallah on December 3, 2002. The shots killed Fatmah Obeid, 95, who became the oldest victim of the 30-month Palestinian uprising, or intifada.
"The soldier is charged with causing death through negligence and with the unlawful use of a weapon," the army statement said.
An officer was also charged with causing death through negligence for shots fired during a riot in a village near the northern West Bank town of Jenin on October 4, 2002, which killed stone-throwing youth Mohammed Ali Zeid, 15.
The charges were brought last week, the army said.
- AFX